Two soldiers regain sight after AFIO surgeons perform Pakistan’s first female-donor corneal transplant
PINDI: Pakistan has achieved a medical milestone with the country’s first successful corneal transplant from a female donor, restoring sight to two soldiers who had lost their vision during counter-terrorism operations.
The corneas were donated to the Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO) in accordance with the will of the late wife of Major General (Retd) Zafar Mehdi Askari.
Specialist surgeons from the Pakistan Army performed the transplants on 30-year-old soldier Aliullah and 26-year-old soldier Falak Sher, successfully restoring their eyesight.
The achievement marks a significant step forward in Pakistan’s medical field and underscores the growing potential of organ donation in the country.
The donor’s daughter, Zehra Mehdi, expressed immense pride in her mother’s act of generosity:
“The greatest honour is that my mother’s eyes were donated to two brave soldiers,” she said, describing the transplant as “a source of eternal charity (sadaqah-e-jariyah)”.
The AFIO’s pioneering surgical procedure to restore vision has been hailed as a historic and commendable medical accomplishment.
Experts, however, continue to warn of the scarcity of organ donations in the country due to social misconceptions. In Pakistan, as many as 10 to 15 people die every day due to the unavailability of organs, a number that reaches up to 20 in the United States.
Medical professionals have called for urgent reforms to promote both living and posthumous donations while exploring the potential of xenotransplantation (animal-to-human organ transfers) to address the growing crisis.
Despite the rising number of patients suffering from organ failure, cultural taboos and religious hesitation continue to prevent many Pakistanis from donating organs, leaving thousands waiting, and often dying, for a second chance at life.
