COAS Dhiraj Seth met with patients whose eyes were restored by Brigadier Sanjay Kumar Mishra’s team
Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) performed 220 sight-restoring surgeries over two days under Operation Drishti at Tangdhar, in what the army described as the country’s first mega eye surgical camp at the LoC. This week, for many elderly villagers, the journey to an underground operation theatre in Tangdhar meant something they had long believed was lost forever: the chance to see their loved ones again. Lucknow: For decades, residents of Karnah in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kupwara district, perched along the Line of Control (LoC), have lived with shelling, militancy and limited access to specialised healthcare. Conducted inside an underground operation theatre amid the threat of cross-border firing, the camp brought advanced eye care to a region where specialised healthcare remains scarce. Most procedures were cataract surgeries, while selected patients underwent retinal procedures and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. The camp was led by Brig (Dr) Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Head of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi Cantonment, who hails from Mau in Uttar Pradesh.
Ghulam Rabani (87) wept after seeing his grandchildren again, Md Younis (66) hoped to return to work independently, Hamida Begum (55) smiled as she recognised her family once more, and Manguti Begum (80) offered prayers for the doctors and soldiers after regaining her eyesight. Operation Drishti has so far screened over 1.5 lakh patients and performed more than 3,500 eye surgeries across 10 cities. The next camp will be held in Srinagar from Sept 27 to 29.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Lucknow | Silver Rate in Lucknow | Bank Holidays in Lucknow | Public Holidays in Lucknow | Lucknow AQI | Weather in Lucknow | Petrol Price in Lucknow | Diesel Price in Lucknow | CNG Price in Lucknow | LPG Price in Lucknow Stay updated with the latest Lucknow news. The team included Lt Col Ravi Chauhan (Etah), Lt Col Divyashree (Tumkur), Maj Amrita Joshi (Dehradun), Sqn Ldr Shailaza Tripathi (Lucknow), Maj Indhu G (Salem), Maj Abhay Solanki (Mainpuri) and Maj Divya (Yamunanagar). Patients from Khawarpora, Tangdhar, Tadd, Bagbela, Yangdar and neighbouring villages reached the camp after screening and announcements on Radio Rooh-e-Karnah, with Indian Army facilitating transport and post-operative care. For many patients, the surgeries meant far more than restored vision. During the Tangdhar camp, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Dhiraj Seth and director general Armed Forces Medical Services Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja visited the facility and commended the medical teams. Download the TOI App.