Eye operations give patients confidence

A Sudanese teenager was one of four African patients recovering at Dubai Hospital yesterday after undergoing a sight-saving operation funded by the Noor Dubai charity. Ghofran Abdelkareem, a 13-year-old from the city of Omdurman near Khartoum, had developed strabismus, or crossed eyes, at the age of five and had become shy and self-conscious about her appearance.

But yesterday, despite being still drowsy from the general anaesthetic, Ghofran and her family were ecstatic about the results of the procedure. Her father Abdelkareem Suliman and cousin Omiema Ali, who travelled to Dubai with the young girl, said: "She looks so pretty now. It was very severe but now she is well." Mr Suliman added: "She was feeling very shy about this problem and it was affecting her school work.