Maha: 4 lose vision, 19 affected after eye surgery botch-up

At least 14 people permanently lost vision in one eye, due to negligence during post operative care of cataract patients in a civil district hospital of Maharashtra’s Washim district. “There is a clear negligence on the part of the operating team”, said Dr TP Lahane, dean of JJ hospital.

The vision of 19 patients was critically affected after alleged botched-up surgeries by doctors at a cataract check-up camp in Washim district. “Even if these patients were brought within two to three days of developing the infection, we could have been able to save their vision”.

A senior health department official told Mumbai Mirror the 23 patients were admitted over a period spanning a month – between October 6 and October 29.

Dagdabai Vardule, 60, is among those at JJ Hospital. “We will be setting up a committee comprising doctors from GMC Nagpur, who will submit a report on the same. I have also informed about the negligence at Akola College of not informing the authorities that they didn’t have facilities for performing vitreo-retinal surgery and kept patients waiting”, said Dr Pawar. Dr Ragini Parekh, head of ophthalmology at JJ said the hospital shut its operation theatre for a day so it could be sterilised to prevent the spread of pseudomonas infection.

A preliminary probe has pointed to the possibility of contaminated surgical instruments having been used, which may have led to a bacterial infection.

Washim’s civil surgeon and the doctor who performed surgeries on the patients were already suspended while similar action has been recommended on a doctor at Akola Medical College. He added that over 100 patients were operated on for cataract in October. “Until our official reached there, patients were getting no proper treatment”, said Dr Sandhya Tayade, assistant director, DHS, who is heading the inquiry. “We have managed to restore the eye-sight in four patients, while another four completely lost their vision”, he said.