Recently, a man from Nairobi — we’ll call him Erick — made the journey from Kenya to Jacksonville with one goal in mind: restoration of his eyesight.
For years, Erick suffered from a severe Lasik complication in both his eyes that resulted in a very complex and advanced keratoconus, where the cornea bulges outward into a cone shape. In addition, he developed a very complex and advanced white cataract.
In a word, Erick was blind.
He had heard about the work done by Dr. Arun Gulani, founding director and chief surgeon of Gulani Vision Institute, and decided the solution to his infirmity was here.
After months of preparation, fundraising, and support and prayers of his community, Erick made the journey at the end of September. Gulani put together a unique plan for Erick using AI and performed a groundbreaking surgical procedure on the first of his patient’s eyes.
Restoration of sight in that eye occurred on Erick’s birthday, giving him extra cause to celebrate. In fact, the patient refused to leave Florida until Gulani agreed to treat his other eye.
So, on Oct. 12 — World Sight Day, by chance, an observance on the second Thursday of October that promotes eye health and emphasizes the need for quality vision care — Gulani successfully performed surgery on Erick’s second eye.
The man’s vision had been fully restored.
The procedure was subsidized through the Gulani Vision Global Foundation.
“It’s moments like these that reaffirm our commitment to making a difference in people’s lives,” said Gulani. “Erick’s courage and determination inspired our team, and we are thrilled to have played a role in this remarkable journey.”
At a gathering of patients from about 20 different destinations, Gulani brought out a birthday cake for Erick and for another patient, a professional golfer from Seattle, who was also celebrating his birthday.
Gulani had an opportunity to speak by phone and by FaceTime with Erick’s parents in Kenya and everyone present was moved to tears.
Gulani was recently recognized for his record-breaking impact on medical tourism in the First Coast and Ponte Vedra. Erick is just one of many patients who have come, sometimes from great distances, to the area to avail themselves of Gulani’s expertise.
