Tamil Nadu: 16 patients lose vision after free eye surgery at govt hospital

Salem: In what appears to be yet another botched-free eye surgery, 16 patients including 12 women aged above 45 years, who underwent free cataract surgery at the government hospital at Mettur in Salem district, have lost their vision.

“The affected patients have been admitted to private hospitals for treatment. In Tamil Nadu, six lakh free eye surgeries are being performed every year. We do not know how this problem arose. It is really shocking. We are looking into whether the medicine administered to the patients were wrong or if there was an issue with the operation theatre,” the state health secretary, J. Radhakrishnan told DC.

Samples of the medicines given to the 16 patients have been sent to the lab in Chennai for examination. “The doctors who performed the surgery at the Mettur government hospital are being questioned,” the joint director of health service, Dr M.R. Inbasekaran told DC.

Every month, at least 25,000 free surgeries are performed in various government hospitals in Salem district under the National Blindness Control Programme.
As many as 23 patients underwent free cataract eye surgeries at the Mettur government hospital by a team of ophalmologists led by Dr Subha from June 14 to 16.

Free eye surgeries were performed on seven patients on June 14, eight persons on June 15 and another eight patients on June 16. The patients were sent off home after the surgery. After they took the eye drops given by the hospital in their houses, 16 patients were unable to see. Immediately, they rushed to the Mettur government hospital from where all the 16 patients were sent to a private hospital in Salem district.

The private hospital doctors who examined the 16 patients said that the vision of eight of the patients was severely affected while eight other patients have suffered minor loss of vision.   All the patients are poor workers above 45 years of age.

Eight patients from Mettur government hospital are being treated at Aravind Eye Hospital in Coimbatore. Doctors say that all these patients are aged between 55 and 70 years and they had developed infection in the operated eyes. They reported to the government hospital three days after the surgery. The government doctors referred them to Salem Aravind Eye Hospital for further treatment. Later, they were shifted to Coimbatore Aravind Eye Hospital.

“They all reached here last week on Saturday and Sunday. Right now, we cannot say whether they are going to lose their vision permanently or going to get cured totally. They are responding to the treatment we are giving, but we cannot come to any conclusion now. It will take another a week or two say anything,” Dr V. Narendran, chief medical officer at Aravind Eye Hospital, Coimbatore told DC.