Nine persons who underwent surgery at a free eye check-up camp organised by a corporate hospital in the district a few days ago lost their eyesight on Sunday, ostensibly due to infection.
Doctors at the hospital said they were trying to find out what went wrong but ruled out any negligence on the part of the specialists.
It could be because of drugs used for treatment. The Bollineni Eye Hospital and Research Centre here had conducted the camp at Gangapatnam village and Kothur in Indukurpet mandal in the district last week.
30 operations
After preliminary check-up for various diseases, the doctors performed surgery on 30 patients, including a few women. Some patients complained of blurred sight and burning sensation in the eyes after a couple of days.
The victims were rushed to the Bollineni Hospital here and then shifted to Chennai owing to the complications.
The patients' attendants said the doctors at the Sankara Nethralaya opined that the chances of getting the eyesight back were bleak and the eyeballs would have to be removed to save their lives.
Action demanded
They alleged that the patients lost their eyesight due to negligence of the doctors of the private hospital in Nellore and demanded action against the management.
They said eyes of four patients were already removed by Friday, while surgery on five others were performed at the Sankara Nethralaya in the last two days. The number of affected persons could be more.
Describing the incident as 'unfortunate' doctors of the Bollineni Hospital said nine of the patients who underwent surgeries in the camp lost their sight and the hospital management was providing necessary treatment for them.
Negligence denied
Chief ophthalmologist N. Sai Murali said four doctors performed surgery and there was no negligence. "We are trying to find out how the treatment failed. The hospital management will bear the total expenses and do justice to the victims," he said. No case has been registered by the police so far as there was no complaint.
Meanwhile, the State Communist Party of India (Marxist) wanted the government to provide the best possible medical facility to the affected persons.
11 admitted to Sankara Nethralaya
Chennai Special Correspondent writes:
Eleven persons who had suffered problems after cataract surgery at the eye camp conducted by the corporate hospital in Nellore were admitted to the Sankara Nethralaya here two days ago.
According to hospital sources, four persons who had lost their sight were operated upon.
One person was operated upon on Saturday and three others on Sunday.
