Seven may lose vision at Hyderabad Hospital

Seven patients at a government-run eye hospital here are in danger of losing vision as a solution used during surgeries was found contaminated, officials said on Wednesday.

A total of 13 patients, who underwent cataract surgery last week at the Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, developed post-operative complications but doctors are confident five to six of them would get back their vision.

The incident has sent shockwaves among patients, whose relatives staged protests at the hospital demanding action against those responsible.

Hospital authorities seized all bottles of the solution and stopped further surgeries as a precaution. The Telangana government has ordered a probe.

The hospital's Deputy Superintendent, Rajendar Gupta, said investigations revealed that the solution used on June 30 was contaminated.

"The solution was tested positive for klebsiella. It is a very notorious organism which is resistant to all drugs except two. We have given these two drugs to all the patients," he said.

He claimed that five to six patients showed improvement and they are "definitely going to get vision". For the remaining cases, the doctors are repeating the injections and waiting to see the results.

Gupta said two of these seven cases may get back the vision with keratoplasty (corneal transplantation).

"We have tried all possible means (to restore vision). We have given injections and cleaned the internal chambers," he added.

He said the hospital gets the solutions from a government drug store. The drug inspectors have already sealed the bottles for further tests.

The Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital at Mehdipatnam is the biggest government-run eye hospital here. About 40-50 patients from poor and lower middle class families undergo surgeries every day.

Meanwhile, the health department of Telangana has ordered an inquiry. A Hyderabad district blindness control officer, Ravinder Goud, has been named the inquiry officer.

Goud said there was no negligence on the part of the doctors or other staff at the hospital as the solution was contaminated.

--IANS

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