As many as 16 persons developed an eye infection after undergoing cataract surgery at the Government Hospital in Mettur last week. They are undergoing treatment at private hospitals in Coimbatore and Salem.
The incident came to light after relatives of the affected people picketed the hospital in Mettur on Friday demanding action against the doctors who performed the surgery. Only after revenue officials pacified them, they left the hospital.
Ophthalmologists Subha, Rajendran, Tamilselvi and Nithya performed surgeries on 16 women and seven men, all in the age group of 40 to 70 on June 14, 15 and 16 respectively. Two days after the surgery, all the 23 patients were discharged.
At home, 16 persons complained of unease in eye and came to the hospital on June 21. A team of doctors examined them and found they were having infection. Eight persons were admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore, while eight were admitted to two private hospitals in Salem. While three persons were found to be normal, the condition of four others is yet to be known. The affected persons are from villages in Kolathur, Edappadi, Jalakandapuram and Omalur in the district while one person is from Anthiyur in Erode district.
S. Saroja (62) of Vanavasi who was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city said that her vision was blurred after the surgery. “But villagers said it would take a few days for her to recover and get clear vision. Hence, I waited at home patiently with pain in eye. As there was no change I came to the hospital,” she added.
Many relatives said that the affected were daily labourers and their livelihood would be in question if they lose eyesight. They demanded compensation from the government and action against the doctors.
