First-of-its-kind surgery restores eyesight

Sixty-year-old Mira Dhar had lost hope of seeing clearly again from her right eye after a viral infection three years ago affected her vision and her first corneal transplant failed. Now, a first-of-its-kind treatment in the country, in which nerves from her foot were used, has given the Kolkata resident her eyesight back. Fully recovered, Dhar is now back home amidst the comfort of her family.

"While we could use nerves from the hand, the ones from the foot is superficial and easy to access," said Dr Harshavardhan Ghorpade, Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgeon at Hiranandani Hospital, Vashi.

Plastic and cosmetic surgeon, Dr Vinod Vij performed the corneal transplant after removing the sensory nerve called the sural nerve from Dhar's foot. The nerve was then connected to the cornea along with the sensory nerves of her forehead. Doctors claimed that it was the first time the procedure was carried out in India. While the operation was performed three months back, Dhar's cornea has now completely healed and her sight is normal.

Dhar was suffering from Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) keratitis, a virus which leads to the loss of sensation in the cornea.