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Pune docs save 5-yr-old’s left eye injured by tile particle
Doctors diagnosed three severe conditions: penetrating eye injury with corneoscleral tear, iris prolapse and pupil disfiguration
A two-hour multiple surgeries at a city hospital saved the severely damaged left eye of a five-year-old boy. A tiny tile particle penetrated the eye of Yashim Shaikh while playing at his home, leaving his vision defective and eye red.
Yashim’s parents rushed him to Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, Aundh that later carried out surgeries.
The medical treatment was done in the first week of May this year and the hospital released the information in July as the boy was kept under observation for two months with regular follow-ups.
Doctors diagnosed three severe conditions: penetrating eye injury with corneoscleral tear, iris prolapse and pupil disfiguration.
A medical team, headed by senior eye surgeon (ophthalmologist) Dr Ashis Ghosh performed corneal tear repair, iris excision, and pupilloplasty — a procedure on the iris to alter the shape of the disfigured pupil, while the patient was under general anesthesia.
The boy got back 100 per cent vision of his left eye within 24 hours.
Dr Ghosh said that the damages to the boy’s left eye were severe, necessitating immediate surgical intervention and multiple structures.
“The interventions were challenging and critical. The procedures involved conjunctival peritomy, to expose the wound; corneoscleral tear repair, and single-pass 4-throw pupilloplasty for the reconstruction of the pupil. Any minor flaw in pupil reconstruction could lead to the patient losing at least 50 per cent of the vision with disturbing glare at daytime. The damage would be lifelong. Fine corneal suturing is also vital to maintain the corneal contour and ocular surface which is significant to reduce high astigmatic spectacle power,” said Dr Ghosh.
The boy was under observation for about four hours after the surgeries and discharged. The bandage on the left eye was removed the next day and the boy gained full recovery of his vision, according to the hospital.
Dr Ghosh said ocular injuries are one of the leading causes of blindness. It affects mainly younger generations, in the 20-40 year age group.
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, every year over 55 million eye injuries which restrict activities more than one day occur across the world. The prevalence of ocular trauma is reported to be 2.4 per cent of the urban population in India and 11.4 per cent of those who sustain injuries lose vision.
Dr Pankaj Asawa, medical director, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, said eye injuries can be prevented by teaching children to handle things and play carefully, preventing them from playing with sharp objects, and encouraging teenagers and adult to wear protective eyewear such as goggles and glass in workplace.
