Glimpses 2009-2010.pdf - LV Prasad Eye Institute

However, the transplants did not offer a permanent solution. Boston Keratoprosthesis promised
new hope for Ankeet and his parents. The surgery took place on July 27, 2009. For him the surgery
was nothing short of a miracle! He was excited that he could now read newspapers and cell phone
messages.
“Earlier I could read only 2 lines (of the vision chart). Now I can read even the last 2 lines,” exulted a
delighted Ankeet, who is now 20. His mother’s eyes brimmed with grateful tears, “The doctor is like
a god to us,” she said.
Tauseef had been living with allergies and severe itching in his eye since his childhood
in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, India. A permanent eye infection (Stevens Johnson
Syndrome) had deprived him of the joys of life that children of his age are entitled to.
Playing cricket was one of them. “I couldn’t see the ball while fielding,” he recalled.
Limbal stem cell transplants in 2003 and 2005 at LVPEI did not help much. The Boston
Keratoprosthesis, done in 2009 improved his eyesight considerably. He could see distant
objects clearly. “I could read only one line on the vision chart, now I can read the whole
chart,” he said.
A vicious acid attack on the cheerful and bubbly Arpita Sikdar had condemned
her to a life of darkness. Although the acid did not cause any serious injury to her
face, she lost her eyesight. She lived with extremely poor vision for 18 months,
unable to pursue her studies.
Arpita and her parents made several visits to LVPEI from the state of West Bengal.
The conventional corneal grafting and limbal stem cell transplant improved her
vision but only temporarily. But the Boston Keratoprosthesis changed her life
dramatically. Her joy knew no bounds when she regained her vision substantially
after surgery. And Arpita’s parents are thrilled to see a smile on the face of their
beloved daughter.
In other areas of patient care, we continue to ensure that our consultants are abreast of the latest
techniques and continually acquire new equipment that keeps our clinics state of the art. Our
retinopathy of prematurity program, which has made a significant impact on the level of awareness
among neonatologists and gynaecologists, has led to a marked decrease in babies requiring surgery. This
is certainly one area where good work has meant less work for us—and better vision for patients!
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