Page 130 - The Indian Optician Digital Edition November-December 2021
P. 130
RARE PLAQUE placement of a plaque – a small, round piece of metal that holds
THERAPY USED the radioactive seeds – on the wall of the eye covering the base of
the cancerous tumour.
TO SALVAGE The doctors informed that plaque brachytherapy is effective for
CHILD’S EYE children who do not respond to chemotherapy and laser therapy.
“This therapy can save vision in cases of recurrent retinoblastoma in
patients who already have lost vision in one eye. It provides focused
RESCUE
ACT treatment of eye cancer without damaging the surrounding
normal structure. The plaque gives off radiation constantly while in
place on the wall of the eyeball and once the plaque is removed, no
radioactivity is left inside the body,” Dr Mishra said.
IVI'S VISION & DIABETES SCREENING
ARAV TOMAR HAD ALREADY LOST
HIS LEFT EYE DUE TO EYE CANCER India Vision Institute
(IVI), the NGO working
to provide access to
Doctors at the Army eye care services to the
Hospital Research and Referral underprivileged across
(R&R), New Delhi used plaque India, organised a free
brachytherapy – a localised vision and diabetic
radiation therapy – to salvage screening in Chennai
the eye of a four-year-old on 14 November, 2021, to commemorate World Diabetes Day.
boy, Arav Tomar, who had The screening held at St. Peter’s Church, Royapuram, included
already lost his left eye due to refractive error correction and Diabetic Retinopathy screening.
retinoblastoma – an eye cancer
that starts in the retina. IVI’s CEO Vinod Daniel said, “Diabetes is assuming alarming
proportions in India and there is need to raise awareness about
Colonel SK Mishra, head of the effect of the disease particularly on eye health.”
the ophthalmology division
at the hospital said his right “The damage that diabetes can do to people’s health,
eye was also affected. “The including the risk it poses by way of a range of conditions,
boy had received multiple including diabetic retinopathy, which is a cause for blindness,
courses of chemotherapy and needs to be conveyed to the public through education and
cryotherapy – use of extreme awareness campaigns,” Mr Daniel noted.
cold to freeze and remove the To mark World Diabetes Day, IVI also organised an online
cancerous tissue – but the awareness talk by Dr Rajiv Raman, Senior Consultant,
disease continued to spread. Department of Vitroretinal Services, Sankara Nethralaya.
Plaque brachytherapy was the
last resort to save the remaining “We hope today’s generation will work towards avoiding
eye and we succeeded in it,” diabetes and in the process also not get secondary diseases,”
revealed Dr Mishra. Mr Daniel added.
Tomar underwent the Since its inception, in addition to providing access to vision
operation on 9 July, 2021. screening and a pair of free corrective glasses to people in need,
th
The procedure was done by IVI has worked in activities to raise awareness about diabetic
a team of doctors, including retinopathy (DR), online panel discussions, capacity building
ocular oncologist Sonali Vinay workshops and short-term fellowship programs for optometrists
Kumar and radiotherapist Dr in association with LV Prasad Eye Institute to equip trainees with
Ashok Kumar. It involved the the required skill sets in screening and management of DR.
| NOV-DEC 2021 | 126 NEWS IN BRIEF
