Dr. Samer Kahil, the chief of the Lebanese-Swiss Center for Artificial Eyes, reached out on social media asking people to refer to him those who lost one of their eyes during the last few days of the protest. He is offering to replace the damaged eye at no cost.
According to Dr. Kahil during our communication with him, three men lost an eye during the protest of last weekend, and he has made the offer as a gesture of support but he did not anticipate that it would garner this kind of reaction.
Worth noting that Dr. Kahil posted his call with only his name and phone number, with obviously no intention of publicity for his center.
We spotted his post on Social Media and communicated with him to verify the authenticity of the offer, and for more information.
Dr. Kahil’s offer is purely humanitarian. He urges people to do the same and offer some of their services for free for the people who need them, especially in these trying times.
His center specializes in prosthetic eyes using the techniques developed by George-Michael Dubois in Switzerland over the last 30 years. Dr. Khahil opened the center in Lebanon in 2001 after completing his specialization in Switzerland.
The artificial eye is built out of synthetic resin, and the process involves a three-dimensional imprint of the patient’s eye cavity to produce a prosthesis that is compatible with his or her anatomic situation.
According to the center’s website, their product is a “unique, perfectly bio-compatible high-technology product.”
Dr. Kahil stated that he is one of only two people who make this type of prosthetic in the country.
“Most ocularists would often paint the artificial eye. Our technology is based on creating an accurate scan of the person’s eye down to even the shade of white of their scelera,” he said.
The prosthetic is indistinguishable from a real eyeball and most people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
This humanitarian act of Dr. Kahil came in light of the recent clashes between the protesters and the security forces in the last few days. The security forces have made actions that many call excessive use of violence.
Protesters were shot with tear gas canisters and rubber bullets, which caused many wounded and some to lose one of their eyes. Over 300 people were injured in the protests.
In reaction to this excessive use of violence, there’s a huge social media campaign where people covered one eye in solidarity with those who lost theirs.
Amnesty International, the Human Rights Watch, and the UN are condemning that excessive use of violence, and are calling for an independent and transparent investigation.
