May 31, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1428

PESHAWAR, May 30: Doctors in Peshawar have performed the first operation in the province to restore the eyesight of a cataract patient through a lens. Ophthalmologists at the Khyber Teaching Hospital claimed on Wednesday that they had successfully performed the operation.

Dr Niamatullah Kundi said the doctors had placed a special lens that had improved the eyesight of the patient. He said the patient didn’t need to wear glasses and the lens was equally good for short and long distances.

He said the lens introduced last year in developed countries was also available in Karachi and Lahore.

Another surgeon, Dr Nasir Saeed, said the procedure cost about Rs60,000 but the patients would be operated upon free of cost. He said the facilities had been upgraded for the purpose at a cost of Rs5 million and doctors had been trained in Karachi and Lahore.