Alarabiya TV Inteview .............Translated

Below is the translation of the Alarabiya interview conducted with Dr. Quawasmi. It is an unofficial transcript or translation. If you would like an official transcript of the interview, feel free to contacat Alarabiya and give it a try....................



Medical Achievement


Alarabiya—TV:

Aired November 24, 2007

This is an unofficial translation and narrative of the interview which provides an overview of the broadcast. Timing notes are made corresponding to points in the interview.


0:00 For years, keratoconus has mainly been treated through corneal transplant. A Jordanian ophthalmologist, Dr. Samir Quawasmi, has discovered a new form of treatment that is considered the first of its kind for treating keratoconus. This new method depends on a simple surgical operation that many patients have tried and the surgery has proven to be a great success.

0:34 Anwar is a patient who was diagnosed with keratoconus. He says that he is suffering a lot. When he heard about the success of this new way of treating Keratoconus, he decided to try it because it will save him a lot of money, effort and time.

0:55 Dr.Quawasmi explained, “ In this new way of Keratoconus treatment, we don’t need to pay 1050 JD as a price for a new cornea. Instead, we activate the affected cornea to rebuild itself by doing a trench under the cornea and area affected by keratoconus which will reshape the cornea to its normal convex shape.”

1:24 Anwar said, “ Before this new way of treatment, too many doctors had told me that it was not possible for me to have a corneal transplant, because of the high possibility of rejection by my body his body and other side effects that may occur.”

1:37 Our camera was there with the Anwar while undergoing this new operation which will give hope to thousands of patients who suffer from keratoconus The amazing thing about this new way of treatment is that it only takes about 30 minutes to complete.

1:57 Dr.Quawasmi explained, “This new method depends on activating the cornea to rebuild itself and change its topography. This method is the result of twenty-five years of study and research of numerous short-sightedness surgical operations that have been performed.”

2:33 After the successful operation, Anwar said, “Thanks to God, I feel a big change now. I can see more clearly. I can recognize colors, faces……. but before, I was unable to recognize whether a person was a man or woman except from their voice!”

3:45 Dr. Samir Quawasmi explained that there are three traditional solutions for treating keratoconus. First is the use glasses or contact lenses. The second is by making changes or arrest to the cornea using an effect called “Cross Linking” that requires up to 60 months of treatment. The third solution is when we face a situation of advanced keratoconus which requires corneal transplant.

4:52 Dr. Quawasmi explained, “This new method of treatment is based on doing some changes to the corneal topography, thickness and the short-sightedness effect that occurs in keratoconus. Now, any patient was diagnosed with keratoconus or a high astigmatism can do this new operation with a low cost compared to the old way of replacing the cornea.”

5:12 Dr.Quawasmi said, “ I have presented this new method in many countries including the United States, India, Syria, China, and Egypt. In comparison with other treatments, like corneal transplant which can be expensive and carries the high risk of rejection of the donor cornea, this treatment is guaranteed to show improvement.

5:32 When asked about the cost of his new procedure, Dr.Quawasmi explained, “The expense depends on the level of keratoconus, the individual case and the techniques used to rebuild the cornea topography as there are many complicating factors in keratoconus.”