CHENNAI: Eye injury can be a life-changing event, affecting the overall quality of life. When six-year-old Ayush Kumar injured his right eye when a bottle cap hit him while he was trying to open it, he and his family didn’t think that it would lead to severe vision loss. His left eye also had poor vision due to a birth defect in the retina and optic nerve. He was totally blind when he came to Rajan Eye Care, Chennai.
Coming from a small village on the outskirts of Patna, Ayush and his family had little knowledge about the management or prognosis of such severe injury.
After being informed regarding poor to nil visual prognosis in multiple local eye hospitals, the family of four had very little hope of getting vision back for their six-year-old boy. They were referred to Rajan Eye Care by a well-wisher. Ayush underwent a complete and detailed eye examination; he had sustained severe injury not only in the front part of his eye but also had developed traumatic cataract. Also, there was dense bleeding in the back part of his eye, vitreous haemorrhage and retina detachment (blood staining of the cornea, hyphema, iridodialysis, vitreous haemorrhage, retinal detachment).
The iris, a vital part of the eye that regulates the amount of light entering the eye, was completely torn. With injury involving most of the parts of his eye, his parents were informed regarding the nature of the injury, the need for surgical intervention and the prognosis. Ayush underwent cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation, all the blood that had pooled inside the back of his eyes was removed and retina was attached (vitrectomy surgery). His iris was repaired by a surgery called pupillopasty where sutures were passed through the iris stitching it back to a near round shape.
All these complex procedures were clubbed into one major procedure and was done by a team of surgeons consisting of Dr Mohan Rajan, Dr Sujatha Mohan, Dr Supriya Gautham, Dr Vaishnavi and Dr Jeenender Gothi. The whole surgery which lasted over two hours under general anaesthesia was done completely free of cost under the ROPES (Rotary Paediatric Surgery) project of Rajan Eye Care and Chennai Vision Charitable Trust.
Now, one month post surgery, having recovered almost completely (90 percent), and him being able to read up to the very last line of the eye test chart, Ayush can now navigate the once-familiar surroundings with confidence. He has started going to school again in Bihar. Ayush’s recovery and journey reiterates that timely innovative treatment and unwavering determination can lead to a brighter and clearer future.