More than a decade after Shubhra Ghosh underwent radial keratotomy surgery in 1990 to correct her myopia, she started experiencing eye strain. Radial keratotomy, a precursor to Lasik surgery, corrected vision by making multiple cuts across the cornea. However, in the years following the surgery, patients like Ghosh found that the procedure left the cornea unstable, causing vision to deteriorate.
Stephanie Handal, an optometrist with the Ruiz Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, explained, “The goal of the surgery was to flatten the cornea and correct the myopia. The problem is that, with time, patients’ vision can shift too much, and they can become dependent on glasses again.”
In 2004, Ghosh received glasses to aid her deteriorating vision, eventually progressing to contact lenses specially made to fit over her cornea. “I tried several versions of lenses over the years, and they did well,” Ghosh noted. “But last year when I went back, they didn’t improve my vision. I couldn’t see as clearly. That’s when I saw Dr. Handal, and it was the best thing that could have happened.”
Handal observed that Ghosh had more cuts on her corneas than usual, making them more unstable. Handal noted, “There is an art to fitting them, and from visit to visit, the cornea can change, so you need to know how much to tweak them. I also noted that she had cataracts, and that was impacting her vision. Correcting the cataracts could give her a clear window, and then we could find a lens to focus that clear window and make her cornea stable again.”
Ghosh praised the care she received, saying, “Dr. Handal took exceptional care of me. She is not only highly knowledgeable, but also remarkably thorough and patient. In complex cases like mine, that level of attention truly makes all the difference.”
Ghosh underwent cataract surgery in one eye in January with Ahmad Kheirkhah, an associate professor of ophthalmology and visual science at McGovern Medical School and an ophthalmologist at the Robert Cizik Eye Clinic. The surgery for the second eye followed in early April. “Thanks to Dr. Kheirkhah’s expertise, he was able to successfully implant intraocular lenses that now allow me to see clearly — even without glasses. It was unbelievable. I have not seen that clearly in decades,” Ghosh remarked.
Ghosh described her treatment as transformative, “My vision has drastically improved. Before, when I was driving, I could see but I didn’t have the same confidence,” she mentioned. “Now I have no trouble venturing out at night. It has just made my whole day so much easier. We rely on our eyesight every waking moment, often taking clear vision for granted. In my case, Dr. Handal and Dr. Kheirkhah helped make that a reality — and I’m incredibly grateful.”
