Days after a botched cataract operation in Telangana almost resulted in blindness for a few patients, eight people were discharged after they regained partial sight after availing treatment at the LV Prasad Eye Hospital in Hyderabad. 10 others continue to be under observation as their cases were much more serious.
“Partial and blurred vision can be regained but it will not be complete vision. After that the patients have to take care and ensure that there are no further infections in the eye as it is already in a compromised state,” a senior ophthalmologist told DC.
While the patients have been asked to visit LV PRasad Eye Hospital once more in the coming week for a check up, they have been asked to go back to Jaya Nursing Home in Warangal for consultation following this, much to their displeasure.
Speaking to TNIE, the family member of one patient said, “While discharging, we were asked to come back for next round of consultation at LVPEI on October 4, and doctors there asked us to go to Jaya Nursing Home for consultation for the next two days. It is at this nursing home the issue (inflammatory condition in eye) started. My father recovered by 50%. Why is he referred to the same nursing home when recovery is pending?”
The infection was first noted in five patients last week as part of follow-up checks by doctors at Jaya hospital. The doctors then called other patients who had undergone surgeries to prevent vision loss.
It was initially reported that the surgeries were part of the Telangana state government's Kanti Velugu scheme but on Saturday the Medical and Health principal Secretary, A Shanti Kumari told mediapersons that the operations were performed under the National Blindness Control Programme of the Centre and not the state government’s scheme launched in August.
However, family members of the victim insist otherwise,
While the exact cause of the blindness is not known, doctors suspect that a fungal growth in the normal saline used to disinfect surgical equipment at the Warangal hospital could be the cause.
Meanwhile, health department officials have sealed the hospital's operation theatre pending an inquiry.