Bengaluru: When her brother-in-law died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital last week, senior ophthalmic surgeon Dr Divya Subramanyam did not have to think twice about using his harvested corneas to help one of her patients.

Within three hours, Preethi L, 14, underwent a corneal transpla nt on her right eye at Vasan Eye Care, Jayanagar branch on August 4. Dr Divya, who was part of the surgery, had to take the tough decision of not attending her brother-in-law’s funeral so that she could complete the procedure. The other cornea was given to another patient at the hospital whose d etails haven’t been disclosed.

Preethi, a Class 7 student from Hubballi, had been suffering from Keratoconus, a condition that leads to visual impairment after the round-shaped cornea develops a conical bulge. She used to find it difficult to read books or see the blackboard. The severity increased and eventually she even failed to recognize the fingers in front of her eyes. Preethi, who registered for a corneal transplant at the Hubballi branch of Vasan Eye Care, was brought to Bengaluru f or a transplant last week. However, the available cornea was of inferior quality and the surgery could not be done. The next day, Divya lost her brother-in-law and when she went to see him at the hospital, she was reminded of the patient from Hubballi waiting for corneal donation. ” The hospital, where my brother-in-law died, had harvested his corneas. When I explained the situation of the patient, they agreed to give his corneas. In three hours, the transplant was initiated,” says Dr Divya.

Lakshman Shivaji, Preethi’s father, said the surgery was a new lease of life for his daughter. “Earlier we thought she had some allergy. But when the situation worsened, we approached the doctors, who said she could regain vision with a corneal transplant.” Preethi, who is the fourth daughter in the family, is keen to go back to her school once she recovers.
Preethi’s left eye did not need a transplant and was treated with a technique called corneal collagen cross-linking to strengthen chemical bonds in the cornea,” said Dr Ravi Krishna Kanaradi, chief medical officer, Vasan Eye Care.

(Source: The Times of India)