Indian patients blinded in botched cataract operations
At least 22 people in north India have lost the sight in one eye days after undergoing free cataract surgery at a state-owned clinic, officials said today.
IS Srivastava, a senior health official in Uttar Pradesh state, said the patients, most of them aged between 60 and 70 years, were sent to a government hospital in the northern city of Lucknow when they complained of blurred vision, swelling and itching in their eyes.
He added that most of those affected also have difficulty seeing with their other eye.
Health Minister Anant Kumar Singh said initial reports suggested that they had developed infections due to the use of contaminated eye drops during the surgery.
Mr Srivastava said it was possible that “all of them have lost their eyesight permanently”.
