5 lose vision after cataract surgery at Thackeray centre

Mumbai: Five patients lost their eyesight after recently undergoing cataract surgery at the civic-run Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Centre.

On January 5, on opening the eye pads of seven cataract patients — Sita-Singh, Baludevi Khadka, Fatimabee Shaikh, Ratn-ama Sanyashi, Rafiq Khan, Gautam Gavane and Sangita Rajbhar — who had undergone surgery, it was discovered that their eyes were severely infla-med with infection. Two days later, they were refe-rred to the civic-run KEM Hospital where they were finally shifted on January 10. However, after undergoing therapy at KEM, it was concluded that five patients had lost their eyesight. The patients are now recuperating in the hospital, said a doctor.

Dr Harbhajan Singh Bawa, medical superintendent, Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Centre, said, “We have shut down the operation theatre where the surgeries were performed. A committee chaired by head of departments of Cooper Hospital and KEM has been set up to conduct an inquiry. The case is still under investigation. A  report will be out on Monday.”

Asked if sheer negligence was to blame, Dr Bawa said, “I can't say. The investigation is on but the operation was performed by ophthalmologist Dr Arun Chaudhary, a reputed surgeon who performs 400 surgeries per day.”

He also said that Dr Chaudhary had conducted around 2,000 surgeries.

Stating that there are high chances of developing eye infections after surgery, the head of the ophthalmology department of JJ Hospital and Grant Medical College, Dr Ragini Parekh said, “The patients should have been treated on a the-sooner-the-better policy.”

Dr T.P. Lahane, a renowned ophthalmologist from government-run JJ Hospital said, “JJ Hospital has all kinds of facilities to treat such disorders. If patients are referred to JJ, it would be great since it has all the facilities those are required to tackle such cases.”