Date:07/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/07/stories/2008050751260300.htm

Kerala

Surgeons warn of cat-borne eye disease

Staff Reporter

MALAPPURAM: A meeting of retina surgeons held at Perinthalmanna, near here, warned of increasing incidence of a sight-threatening eye disease spread by cats in the State. The surgeons warned that early detection and treatment was the only remedy for toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease that can lead to chorioretinitis in human beings.

People can lose their sight if this disease is left without treatment, retina surgeons warned. The meeting organised by Malappuram Ophthalmic Society and Al Salama Eye Hospital discussed at length the various aspects of the disease.

Chandrashekhara Shetty, former Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University, Bangalore, inaugurated the meeting. Rajagopalan Nair, president of the Kerala State Ophthalmic Surgeons, presided over the function. Muhammed Swadique, president of the Malappuram Ophthalmic Society, welcomed.