Date:18/08/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/18/stories/2006081825310400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Girl baby undergoes cataract surgery

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: A one-and-a-half-year-old baby girl, Jasma, with congenital cataract was operated upon successfully at the Nethradhama Hospital here on Thursday.

The operation lasted for about two hours and the child was discharged on the same day.

According to hospital director Sriganesh, who performed the operation, normal vision of Jasma would be restored once the bandage was off and the medication dose was followed as prescribed. Dr. Sriganesh said this was a rare case, wherein a child was born with cataract in two eyes. "If such cases are detected early, corrective surgery can be conducted and normal sight restored," he said.

The cost of the surgery, about Rs. 60,000, had been met by the Lion's Club of Bangalore Greater Jnanabharathi as the parents of the child were poor. The child's father, Iyaz, is a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh who is doing some odd jobs here for a living.