Apart from the three who underwent post-surgery, chances of the other patients, who had their cataracts removed at the Periyakulam eye camp recently, fully regaining their vision were minimal, Dr Namperumalsamy, Director, Aravind Eye Hospital, said here today.Speaking to mediapersons, he said of the seven patients who were deemed fit for operation, only three had turned up. After operation, 50-per cent vision was restored to one patient, whereas the other two regained only 25- to 30-per cent of eyesight.Now, with more than 20 days gone, hope of the others getting back their vision is almost zero as the infection may have spread, Namperumalsamy said. ‘‘It is no use operating on them now,’’ he said. A few weeks ago, 45 patients had undergone cataract operations at Periyakulam Government Hospital. After the operations, they complained of severe pain and irritation, and were immediately rushed to Madurai Government Hospital, where they were detected to have contracted infections, posing danger to their eyesight.Though the microbiology tests since then have identified the organism that had infected the eyes, it is not easy to determine the source of the infection. It may have come through the instrument used, the theatre atmosphere, or the fluid and medicines used in the surgical procedure.After the incident, the government had requested the services of Aravind Hospital doctors to restore the sight of the patients. But many of them had refused to cooperate.
