The Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) announces that, according to their information, Mzia Amaglobeli will undergo eye examinations this week at a clinic of her own choosing.
“GYLA has learned that this week the prison administration plans to have Mzia Amaglobeli undergo eye examinations at the clinic she selected,” the organization writes.
Mzia Amaglobeli — journalist, media manager, and laureate of the EU’s highest human rights award, the Sakharov Prize — has been held in unlawful imprisonment for 11 months.
Since her placement in the penitentiary facility, Mzia Amaglobeli’s eyesight has significantly deteriorated.
Despite doctors’ recommendations and repeated requests from her lawyer, she has still not been provided with the high-tech examinations necessary to assess her condition.
On December 8, GYLA released Mzia Amaglobeli’s medical history related to her vision, which shows that her eyesight has deteriorated alarmingly while in custody.
Mzia Amaglobeli and her lawyer have repeatedly requested comprehensive examinations at specialized clinics — the New Hospitals National Ophthalmology Center, where her previous test history is stored and where topographic data can be compared, or the Caucasus Medical Center.
An excerpt from the letter Mzia Amaglobeli sent to the prison administration:
“…The provider clinic of your institution, ‘Mzera,’ does not have the modern/necessary equipment, and the tests conducted there could not provide a complete picture. In addition, I was never consulted by the doctor from ‘Mzera’ who issued the recommendation.
My questions remain unanswered — what risks exist, and what consequences might the eye procedure they recommended entail?
I know there are no guarantees in medicine, accordingly none are given and I do not expect them. However, considering that I have preserved usable vision only in one eye (the right one), which allows me — mainly with the help of glasses — to read, I am obligated to be more cautious in making decisions.
I believe that preserving and/or improving my eyesight is possible based on my medical history, in a clinic equipped with modern technology and staffed by doctors experienced in treating patients diagnosed with keratoconus.”
