15th February part 1

Today I had the tremendous experience of witnessing my first

trichiasis surgery. Momodou (project officer) took Hannah and me out to one of the villages, where an ophthalmic nurse performed the operation on a very nervous, but very brave elderly man. His wife had had the operation the previous week, and despite having suffered the complication of a granuloma (inflammation around the stitches which is easy to remove), had persuaded her husband to have the treatment.

The operation looks very much like battlefield surgery, although it is clearly done professionally and with proper attention to maintaining a sterile environment. It is also quite bloody to watch the nurse pull back the eyelid and slice through the inner lid, then cut deeply to release the adhesions. Not something to watch after lunch, but I found it absolutely riveting.