Yemeni Youth Who Lost Sight In Explosion Regains Vision At Kerala Hospital, Awaits Hands Transplant

For 21-year-old Islam Hussein, the past couple of months in Kerala has nothing short of a rebirth. Lost both his eyes and hands in a landmine explosion in September in the ancient city of Taiz in war-torn Yemen, Hussein got the eyesight in his left eye back, thanks to doctors at Amrita Institute of Medical Science (AIMS) Kochi.

Doctors were able to restore 90% sight in his left eye back after an eight-hour-long corneal transplant surgery, Hussein's right eye was damaged beyond repair.

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Unable to control his emotions, after being able to see the world again, Hussein said it was a rebirth for him.

“It is beautiful to see again. It is a rebirth for me. I had given up all hopes. Indian doctors gave me a fresh lease of life,” he said.

“Islam’s right eye was beyond recovery as the structure behind the lens was badly damaged and the eye had shrunk in size. We, therefore, focused on the left eye. We reconstructed the shattered eye structures and, conducted corneal transplant and reconstructed the eye. We were not sure if it would work, as there was a membrane in front of the retina. But it was joy all around when, a day later, Islam opened his eye and could clearly see his mother in front of him. It was a very emotional moment for everyone,” Dr Gopal S Pillai, HOD, Department of Ophthalmology, AIMS said.

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Hussein and his family first came to India in December after doctors in Egypt where he was initially treated for injuries. The doctors there had amputated both his hands below the elbow and recommend amputation for legs too.

Not willing to give up, as recommended by a friend the family travelled to Jaipur where his legs were reconstructed. After successfully undergoing a plastic surgery on his foot in Jaipur Hussein came to AIMS where the doctors said it was better to get the eye surgery done first and limb transplant later.

“Due to medical reasons, the hand transplant team at Amrita felt that the hand transplant for Islam would be more feasible after he regained his vision,” said Dr Anil Radhakrishnan, consultant (cornea & refractive surgery), AIMS, Kochi.

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Hussein who was a class XI student at the time when disaster struck him, considers himself lucky to be alive, where in his village alone 500-600 people have lost their limbs in the past three years in explosions.

Hussein who is now awaiting hand transplant said, growing up he always wanted to become an engineer, but now he wants to become a doctor and help others like him.

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After seeing the medical miracles at Amrita Hospital, I want to become a doctor and help transform lives, like they have transformed mine, here itself,” Hussein said.

The AIMS has a history of successfully conducting transplant surgeries, often unbelievable.

In the past too, the hospital has conducted hand transplant surgeries including one in 2015, where an Afghan soldier who lost his hands while defusing a bomb successfully underwent a transplant.