Patients complain of losing vision after surgery

Chennai: In an alarming incident, as many as 16 people have reportedly complained of losing eyesight after they underwent free cataract surgery at Mettur Government Hospital in Tamil Nadu. A relative to one of the victims told, “We came to the eye camp on June 15. They (medical team) asked my grandmother to come for surgery the next day. Two days after that, there is no vision in her eye.”

The patients were among 23 who went to the eye camp at Government Hospital, Mettur on June 15. They were asked to come back the next day for cataract surgery. The patients lost their eyesight two days after that. Reacting to the incident, the government said a team has been dispatched to identify the cause of the matter.

The official told “About 23 people participated in the eye camp and 16 of them underwent cataract surgery. It is a temporary vision loss. We do not know what is the reason that led to the eye infection. A team comprising ophthalmologists and doctors had already been sent to the hospital for a further probe.”