Two-month-old receives vision after rare surgery at Apollo

KOLKATA, July 22, 2021: 

Beginning July 2021, a 2-month-old with almost zero eyesight was brought to Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals, Kolkata. On examination, Dr Debabrata Halder, senior consultant ophthalmologist (paediatric), found out that the child was suffering from congenital total cataract in both eyes. “In such cases, however, surgeries are carried out when children are three or four years old. And to operate on a two-month-old’s eyes is a big challenge because of the age as well as the delicate nature of the eyes”, said Dr Halder.

As a consequence of having total cataract in both eyes from birth, there was a hindrance to vision development in the child. Hence Dr Debabrata Halder, who was assisted by a team of doctors, decided to operate on the child’s eyes at the age of only two months. But due to the host of other health complications like the absence of anus, fistula connecting rectum and urinary passage, and some heart defects, administering anaesthesia was a big challenge. Dr Debabrata Halder said, “The hour-long surgery has cleared both the eyes of cataract and the baby’s vision is absolutely perfect. A delayed surgery could have permanently affected the vision, which is why we had to take the chance of operating at such a young age, which is not done normally.”

He also added, “For us, it was a race against time. If we would have delayed the operation, it would have affected the development of visual fixation (the capability to stare in a particular direction), which normally develops between the eighth and tenth week and we would have crossed this crucial period. But following the procedure that was carried out, the child will now have a better vision and can lead life normally.” Following the successful surgery, the child has been released.

On this note, Mr Rana Dasgupta, CEO, Eastern Region, Apollo Hospitals Group, said, “Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals, Kolkata, continues to be the leader in path-breaking procedures. Our committed clinicians, with the help of state-of-the-art technology, carried out this rare procedure on the two-month-old baby, who will now be able to see the world with her eyes.”