Te Whatu Ora Waikato said even eye surgeries that are “performed optimally” can fail, and the organisation couldn’t comment on Ralm’s case.

In the Waikato, 633 people who have been accepted across all eye surgeries are awaiting their procedure date.

In the past four years, Ralm has undergone five eye surgeries - three that failed.

That’s all while dealing with diabetes, arthritis, and mental health issues as the family was recovering from his wife’s brain cancer.

Ralm claimed he had a breakdown, lost 80% of his muscle mass and developed insomnia.

It began in July 2019, when Ralm suffered a retinoschisis in his left eye - splitting of the retina into two layers - and for six to eight months Waikato Hospital attempted to save the eye with eye drops, before finally stitching it up.

After being stable and showing some progress, Ralm said his eye suddenly failed and “went sort of cloudy with very minimal vision”.

Surindur Ralm forked out $25,000 for private surgery when the public health system couldn’t give him a date for an “urgent” operation.
KELLY HODEL / WAIKATO TIMES

 

The cornea transplant surgery needed in his left eye was delayed for two years due to Covid-19.

“I was in and out of hospital once every few months for them to actually start saving my eye because it flared up very bad.

“I was lucky I had 70 to 80% vision in my right eye... but it was starting to fail too.”

Ralm underwent an operation in September 2022, when his eye flared up and was “in the worst possible condition”.

“After the operation, my eye was blood red.”

Meanwhile, he started to lose vision in his right eye and developed a cataract in his left.

He couldn’t drive or work and had to go on a benefit.

On January 16 2023 he underwent a lens replacement operation on his right eye. That wasn’t fully healed by the time he had cataract surgery on the left eye on January 21.

Two days later a gas bubble was passed into his right eye to assist the lens replacement surgery.

Surindur Ralm had to go on a benefit when his eyesight declined, leaving him unable to drive or work.
KELLY HODEL / WAIKATO TIMES

After about an hour his vision went cloudy in both eyes and he could not see anything.

Ralm said all three operations failed and “it was the worst time in my life” after he left the hospital.

“I couldn't think or see anything, it was just blobs and shapes.

“The medication - eight different kinds of eye drops - was causing side effects such as shaking legs and sweats.”

Ralm said he visited the hospital every two weeks and, in April this year, the ophthalmologist asserted both his eyes had failed.

He needed urgent cornea replacement surgery, Ralm said, but the hospital did not have a date for him.

“I couldn’t write, drive, work, cook, or even put a bowl of milk in the microwave.”

Ralm searched for private surgeons in Australia, Canada, India, and New Zealand.

He found a doctor in Christchurch in August who performed the cornea replacement operation a week later.

Ralm’s vision was still stabilising and so far the operation had been a success, he said.

“I've been able to watch TV now, which is fantastic... I saw the All Blacks lose.

“I still can’t focus properly but I can do a lot of things that I couldn't do myself, like use the microwave, and cook to a certain degree.”

Ralm said the 2022 operation saved his eye, but he was disappointed about how long it had taken to get the operation.

Surindur Ralm’s vision is still stabilising after undergoing surgery at a private practice in Christchurch, but so far he regards the operation as a success.
KELLY HODEL / WAIKATO TIMES

 

“The eye is the most important sense in your body.

“That's supposed to be looked after the most because that's giving you independence.”

A Te Whatu Ora spokesperson said they could not share a patient’s private health information and did not comment on Ralm’s case.

However, they said a range of factors could influence the success of an operation, even when performed optimally.

“Risks include infection, bleeding, and rejection.”

In 2023, 20 patients received cornea grafts/elective keratoplasty and 1485 received elective cataract procedures.

Eye Health Aotearoa chief executive John Mulka said eye health wasn’t a priority in New Zealand.

“Currently 180,000 Kiwis are blind, deafblind, or have low vision, and we expect those numbers to increase to 225,000 by 2028.

“We estimate that 75-80% of blindness and low vision is avoidable, and New Zealanders should not be losing their sight as a result of preventable causes.”

Mulka said timely access to eye healthcare prevented 75-80% of permanent visual impairment and blindness, which may otherwise, without timely treatment, become irreversible.