8-month-old baby, suffering from congenital cataract, has been treated by doctors in Mumbai. Usually, surgery is done on only one eye at a time, but doctors have saved the child’s eyesight by performing surgery on both the eyes simultaneously. According to doctors, one out of every lakh newborn has the problem of cataract.
Banaras resident Anil Yadav came to know on December 12 that his 8-year-old child was not able to see. I consulted doctors in Banaras, where it was found that the child had cataract. Doctors told the cost of one eye surgery to be Rs 80 thousand. We came to Mumbai and consulted Dr. Shyam Agarwal. He performed the surgery and charged only for anesthesia fees.
What is Cataract?
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. Some children are born with it, and some develop it as they grow older. If you think that it might go away as your child grows, it is not true. Ignoring cataract during a child’s formative years can lead to long-term vision problems in your child.
Congenital cataract occurs in one child out of one lakh
Ophthalmologist Dr. Shyam Agarwal explained that congenital cataracts occur in one out of every one lakh children. This happens when the baby is in the womb, and the lens forms in the first three months of pregnancy. During this period, if the mother experiences viral fever, diabetes, or undergoes frequent X-rays while pregnant, there is a possibility of the child developing cataracts.
Dr. Agarwal said that usually we perform surgery on only one eye at a time. Since this is a young child and to avoid any discomfort, we decided to perform surgery on both eyes at once. We called in anesthesia experts from outside. Since the child’s parents are not financially well, we only charged them for the fee of the anesthesia doctor. The hospital did not charge any fee from the child’s family.
