It has been nine years since Dr Alfred Osafo-Kwaako, the head of the Eye Department at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ghana, started performing a new Minimally-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) in Ghana.

This has not only improved the quality of life of glaucoma patients but also reduced the cases of glaucoma blindness in Ghana.

The UHAS MIGS is under the introduction and supervision of the School of Medicine of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, Volta region, Ghana.

The UHAS MIGS is relatively affordable and the procedure takes only about 10-15 minutes to complete, unlike traditional glaucoma operations that may take 30-60 minutes to complete.

Unlike other glaucoma operations that usually have painful eye injections before the operation and the use of small scissors to dissect eye tissues, the UHAS MIGS has no eye injections and no use of scissors.

Eye injections and the use of scissors to dissect eye tissues are responsible for some of the complications seen in traditional glaucoma surgery.

The UHAS MIGS involves the creation of a tiny channel by a surgeon to relieve the pressure in the eye and usually makes the use of pressure-reducing eyedrops and tablets unnecessary.

Over the past 9 years, no blinding complication of MIGS has been recorded so far.

Due to excessive scarring in the eyes of black people which reduces the effectiveness of glaucoma operations, Dr Alfred Osafo-Kwaako modified the MIGS operation to obtain improved results in black populations and then labelled the modified MIGS as UHAS MIGS.

In 2018, data on the results of the UHAS MIGS operations done on 77 patients in the year 2016 was presented to members of the Ophthalmological Society of Ghana (OSG) by Dr Alfred Osafo-Kwaako.

He presented the data while speaking at the 2018 Glaucoma Update Conference held at the Korle bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, with world-renowned glaucoma specialist, Professor Donald Budenz from the USA as the co-speaker on minimally invasive glaucoma operations.

One of the glaucoma patients who had undergone the UHAS MIGS, Dr Thomas Tontie Baah, a top eye surgeon in Ghana and founder of the Save the Nation Sight Clinic in Accra, disclosed that he is lucky to be a beneficiary of the UHAS MIGS and recommended that the operation be made easily available and accessible to the many patients suffering from the scourge of glaucoma in Ghana.

"It was a short uneventful procedure lasting only about 15 minutes and I am very pleased with the results so far. After I examined some of the patients who had undergone the UHAS MIGS, I decided to act fast to save my eye" Dr Baah added.

Another glaucoma patient who has undergone the UHAS MIGS five years ago, Professor Col (Rtd) Edwin Afari, Professor of Public Health at the University of Ghana and former commander of the 37 Military Hospital stated that he hasn't had to use glaucoma eyedrops anymore since he underwent the UHAS MIGS.

He used glaucoma eyedrops for eight years before his MIGS operation. According to Professor Afari, his MIGS was painless and was done in 10 minutes, and he also recommended MIGS for all glaucoma patients.

In 2016, Rev Joshua Tamakloe of the Assemblies of God Church was warned by eye doctors in London that, without surgery, he will go blind in a matter of days, considering the progression of his glaucoma, so the doctors performed surgery on one eye.

"When I returned to Ghana, I was introduced to Dr Alfred Osafo-Kwaako for surgery on my second eye. To my surprise, the surgery in Ghana was relatively cheap, completed very fast in 10-15 minutes and there was no pain during and after the surgery," Rev Tamakloe added.

Other glaucoma patients who had undergone the UHAS MIGS operation also made positive comments and recommendations at the 9th-year celebration of the UHAS MIGS in Ghana.

They are Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, president of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs and former Council Member of UHAS; Dr Ransford Antwi, Dean of Arts at the Central University in Ghana; and Mr Nana Bosompim, Ahafo Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission of Ghana

Eye surgeons from various hospitals and universities in Ghana have started training on the new UHAS MIGS glaucoma operation with Dr Alfred Osafo-Kwaako as the training instructor.

However, at present, the UHAS MIGS operation is only available from the UHAS Eye Team headed by Dr Alfred Osafo-Kwaako.

Eye surgeons training on the new UHAS MIGS came from the Korle Bu teaching hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, Tamale teaching hospital, Cape Coast University Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Ridge Hospital, Emmanuel Eye Center, Tema Christian Eye Center, Agogo Presby Hospital, Manhyia Hospital and Asamang SDA Hospital.

Dr Alfred Osafo-Kwaako is sincerely grateful to God for the success of the UHAS MIGS operation for the past 9 years.

He also expressed special thanks to the UHAS authorities for their support since the introduction of the UHAS MIGS operation, especially the vice chancellor, Prof Lydia Aziato; the immediate past vice chancellor, Prof John Gyapong; the Pro vice chancellor, Prof Harry Tagbor; the immediate past Pro vice chancellor, Prof Seth Owusu Adjei; the Registrar Madam Yaa Amankwah Opuni and the  Dean of the school of medicine, Professor Frank Edwin.

He also appreciated the support of ophthalmic nurses, optometrists and ophthalmologists or eye surgeons who have participated in various ways in the delivery of the UHAS MIGS operation to glaucoma patients in Ghana.