BANGALORE: Narayana Nethralaya, has come up with Narayana Optic Vision Evaluation Laboratory (NOVEL), a first-of-its kind unique research lab facility in India, aimed at understanding the unexplained eye ailments and finding suitable cure through innovative treatment methods.
The lab has state-of-the-art facilities to understand the eye-related anatomy, physiology, histology and genetics of patients. The hospital has invested between `3 and `4 crore for setting up the lab.
“We have several patients walking in everyday with unexplained eye problems. Some of these problems are because of changing work culture, office environment and stress. NOVEL will categorize such patients depending on their problem and analysing them for appropriate medical intervention,” said Dr Rohit Shetty, Vice-Chairman, Narayana Nethralaya.
The research facility- NOVEL works under the premise ‘seeing what the patient sees’, which implies that the tools in the lab help ophthalmologists in understanding how a patient sees the world. “The tools are so advanced that ophthalmologists can determine the exact vision of the patients. This will enable us to understand the nature of the problem faced by the patients,” points out Dr Shetty.
He further added that the cause for concern is the increase in eye problems among the young because of deficiency in Vitamin B12, a trend which is going unnoticed. “If such problems are not detected in the early stage, it can lead to partial blindness.” he said.