Cataract Surgery Is Now Quick And Precise

RISHNA (name changed), 70, a farmer in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, was having trouble with vision in one of his eyes. He also kept on putting off his eye screening for a long time. However, one fine day he had to be rushed to the hospital with severe eye redness and pain. On examining him, doctors found that his cataract—the cloudy layer on the natural lens of the eye, or crystalline lens—had ruptured. As a result, he lost the vision in his right eye.

- SINDUJA JANE @ Chennai

RISHNA (name changed), 70, a farmer in Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, was having trouble with vision in one of his eyes. He also kept on putting off his eye screening for a long time. However, one fine day he had to be rushed to the hospital with severe eye redness and pain. On examining him, doctors found that his cataract—the cloudy layer on the natural lens of the eye, or crystalline lens—had ruptured. As a result, he lost the vision in his right eye. Like him, despite the availability of advanced cataract surgery treatment facilities, many patients delay eye surgery owing to lack of awareness and personal reasons, say doctors.

In India, 55% of all blindness is attributed to cataracts. Unlike developed countries like the US, where cataracts mostly affect people over 70 years, Indians as young as 50 are developing cataracts. This is largely due to factors such as exposure to ultraviolet rays, excessive heat, and poor nutrition, said Dr Amar Agarwal, chairman of Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital.