Jammu, Dec 04: The long sustained efforts and multiple awareness campaigns of the government on Wednesday yielded results as the eyes were donated for the first time at Jammu by the relatives of the deceased who died at Government Medical and Hospital, Jammu, (GMC&H), the region’s premier hospital.
“This is the first hospital corneal retrieval of the deceased donor’s eyes,” Head of the Ophthalmology Department, Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, Dr Ashok Sharma, informed Rising Kashmir.
The recipients were a 55 year-old female with vascularized corneal opacity and an 80 year-old male with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy.
Both these people can now see this colorful world and can now look forward to improved quality of life. The relatives of both these recipients thanked the GMC authorities.
“We can now see this colorful world and realize our dreams, thanks again to GMC Jammu doctors and the authorities as well who made this possible,” they said.
This is a significant milestone in the field of vision restoration, said Dr. Ashutosh Gupta, Principal and Dean of GMC Jammu.
The corneal retrieval of the deceased donor’s eyes was accomplished by the collaborative efforts of transplant coordinator SOTTO J&K, Irfan Ahmad Lone, Dr Riya Gupta, Dr. Manpreet Kour, Rifat (SSN) and Anjuman ( MTS) under the supervision of Dr. Hans Raj Sharma (Professor and Eye bank manager) and Dr. Vijayta Gupta (Assistant Professor).
Dr. Ashok Sharma, Professor and Head of Ophthalmology led this successful procedure along with his surgical team.
The successful surgeries were conducted by the dedicated efforts of Dr. Pragya Arora and Dr Swati Mahajan, both postgraduates, along with the assistance of eye OT staff members Kamlesh Kumari (I/C OT), Ajay Sharma (Male Staff nurse), Neelam Kumari (SSN), Sandeep Singh (Pharmacist), Rajesh Kumar (MTS) and Makhan Singh (MTS).