Dubai: Dubai: Morocco's Ministry of Health and Social Protection has launched an urgent investigation after 15 patients suffered severe vision loss following therapeutic eye injections at Mohammed VI University Hospital in Tangier.
The ministry formed a special fact-finding committee to investigate the incident, which left several patients reporting near-total blindness after developing acute eye infections.
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The incident first came to light on October 8, when two patients developed severe inflammation after receiving treatment at the hospital's ophthalmology department.
Hospital authorities subsequently contacted other patients who had undergone the same procedure. Of the 18 patients involved, 15 were found to have developed similar complications, raising concerns about the treatment or medication administered.
Preliminary findings indicated that most of those affected were elderly patients with diabetes who already suffered from impaired vision and retinal damage associated with the disease.
A hospital official said some patients' visual acuity had deteriorated to around 2/10, with the acute inflammation further worsening their condition. Several reported experiencing complete loss of sight.
Specialist medical teams are treating and monitoring the affected patients, although doctors said it could take approximately three months to establish the full extent of their recovery.
As part of the investigation, infection control specialists and representatives of the National Blood Agency visited the hospital, where blood samples were collected from affected patients for laboratory testing.
The hospital official rejected suggestions that expired medication had been administered, saying the injections used were valid until September 30, 2028.
Investigators are examining whether the infections resulted from a chemical alteration in the medication or other forms of contamination.
The official said several patients had previously received the same injection as many as five times without experiencing complications.
The exact cause of the infections remains unknown pending the results of laboratory tests and the ongoing investigation.