Aundh district hospital to start eye bank on campus soon

n a newly built room in the hospital, all preparations have been made and the hospital is waiting for a go-ahead from the human organ transplant authorisation committee

PUNE The Aundh district hospital will soon have an eye bank and start ophthalmic super speciality services. The ophthalmic department at the hospital has been upgraded and all surgeries minor to major will be started along with the eye bank, said officials.

The permission is likely to be received in a week’s time, after which the eye bank will start from September, said officials. (REPRESENTATIVE PIC)

In a newly built room in the hospital, all preparations have been made and the hospital is waiting for a go-ahead from the human organ transplant authorisation committee. The permission is likely to be received in a week’s time, after which the eye bank will start from September, said officials.

As per the officials, Pune city currently has 10 eye banks, out of which, Sassoon General Hospital and Army Institute of Cardio Thoracic Sciences are government facilities and the remaining eight eye banks are run by private organisations.

Till now the Aundh district hospital authorities for eyeball retrieval and collection have been depending on other eye banks.

Dr Anjali Kulkarni, district ophthalmic surgeon, the cornea has to be retrieved from a donor within four to six hours and the same is preserved and used during keratoplasty of the waiting list patient.

“To meet this requirement, an eye bank is required for the preservation of the donated eyes. Till now we were taking the help of other eye banks but now we will have our own facility. The team from the state government has finished the inspection and we are hoping for permission from human organ transplant authorisation committee in a week,” she said.

As per the officials, a slit lamp biomicroscope, eye bank specular microscope, biological safety cabinet, portable high-pressure rapid steriliser and other equipment have been purchased for the eye bank. The staff from the ophthalmic department has undergone training.

Dr Nagnath Yempalay, district civil surgeon, said, once the eye bank starts, people could donate eyes here to restore the sight of needy persons. Initially, the trial procedure will be started.

“The ophthalmic department is currently conducting cornea transplant procedures. With the eye bank, the number of such procedures will increase. The entire ophthalmic department has been upgraded and several super speciality services will be started at the ophthalmic department,” he said.