Imran's vision in right eye improves to 6/24, says report after check-up in Adiala jail

A team of eye specialists examined PTI founder Imran Khan, who is suffering from an eye condition affecting vision in his right eye, in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail on Sunday.

According to the medical report, Imran was assessed on February 15 by Dr Prof Nadeem Qureshi, head of the vitreoretinal department at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital, Rawalpindi, and Dr Prof M Arif, head of the ophthalmology department at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad.

The report noted that Imran’s vision without glasses was 6/24 partial in the right eye and 6/9 in the left eye, while with corrective lenses, it improved to 6/9 partial in the right eye and 6/6 in the left.

The doctors conducted a slit lamp examination, a standard test to check overall eye health, which showed that the “cornea was clear bilaterally” and there were “no cells in the anterior chamber.”

In the right eye, the vitreous was clear with “a few fibrillar opacities seen, no cells appreciated.” The report also noted a “mild intragel haemorrhage seen at 6 o’clock periphery,” along with “disc hyperemic and vessels engorged” and “cup obliterated.”

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The examination revealed “moderately dense retinal haemorrhages in all four quadrants. Four to five cotton wool spots seen in different quadrants,” with “resolving macular oedema seen. Foveal contour visible. Retina is attached.”

By contrast, Imran’s left eye showed a healthy macula and periphery, “no lattice,” and an attached retina.

The doctors also performed an optical coherence tomography (OCT) test, which takes cross-sectional images of the retina. It showed that the macular oedema in the right eye was “resolving and reduced,” with central macular thickness improving from 550 to 350. The left eye remained “within normal limits.”

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas visited PIMS on Sunday after Imran’s examination. The doctors briefed them in detail on the former prime minister’s health and also updated Imran’s personal physicians, Dr Aasim Yusuf and Dr Khurram Mirza, during a phone call lasting over 25 minutes.

The report added: “After a detailed briefing, leaders and personal physicians expressed their full satisfaction and confidence over the treatment given so far and follow-up advice recommended by the team of senior doctors.”