CHENNAI: A team led by senior paediatric anaesthesiologists Dr Ramesh and Dr Jeenendhar Gothi along with paediatric ophthalmologists Dr Mohan Rajan and Dr Suraj Nayak, conducted a successful bilateral cataract surgery, under general anaesthesia, on a 4-month-old premature baby at Rajan Eye Care, T Nagar.
The premature baby was referred from ICH for whitish central reflex in both the eyes. Extensive counselling for cataract surgery and rehabilitation for severely premature babies play a key role as the hesitation of parents for such a procedure is a major hindrance.
The complex procedure under general anaesthesia would cost around Rs 2 lakh but was done free of cost under ROPES (Rotary Pediatric Eye Surgery) programme.
General anaesthesia in severely premature babies is challenging and it was efficiently managed by the senior anesthesiologists. Bilateral simultaneous cataract surgery was conducted successfully for the baby in view of this risk of repeated anaesthesia.
Early diagnosis while screening babies and prompt surgical intervention with efficient rehabilitation is the key factor for good visual outcomes in paediatric cataracts.