Shija records first cornea transplant in State
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 22 2014 : Shija Hospitals and Research Institute, Langol has created a medical history of sort in the State by becoming the first medical institution to successfully perform cornea transplantation on a visually impaired 68-year old patient.

The medical feat was reportedly achieved by a team of the Institute's Shija Eye Care Foundation led by Eye Surgeon Dr Sachindra Laishram carrying out the surgery on Tuesday.

Briefing mediapersons at the langol complex of the Institute today Dr Sachindra said as there is no eye bank in Manipur, the surgical process to restore 68-year old Khangembam Ningthemjao's eyesight was carried out soon after the cornea offered by Shri Shankardeva Netralaya (SNN), Beltola (Guwahati) was brought in a flight yesterday.

One advantage about cornea transplant is that it requires no blood transfusion or blood group conformity between the donor and the receiver, said the surgeon adding that the only necessity prior to the transplant is to ensure that the donor is free from diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis.

Shija hospital team address

Disclosing that the cornea was donated to SNN by a noble individual before departing for his heavenly abode, he also observed that lack of awareness or willingness to donate eyes even after death, a patient in need of regaining sight often waits for two years till a medical centre with functioning eye bank gets a donor.

Ningthemjao, who hails from Keinou in Bishnupur district, recounted that his vision became gradually weak at about 12-13 years of age and since then had been consulting different medical practitioners but without any significant improvement of the problem.

Stating that his initial contact with Shija doctors provided him a ray of hope, the elderly patient also expressed gratitude to Dr Sachindra and his team for the successful cornea transplant.

Joining the media briefing, Shija chairman cum managing director Dr Kh Palin said the private medical institution endeavoured to conduct organ transplant ever since the Manipur Legislative Assembly passed and adopted Transplantation of Human Organ Act 1994 in its sitting on March 25, 1999 .

visibly elated on the successful cornea transplant, Dr Palin said the Shija feat is the first of its kind in Manipur and second after Assam in the North East region.

of the total cases of blindness 20 percent is caused by cornea infection and can be cured through transplant, said the chairman who also urged the people for generous donation of organs to help the needful in leading a normal life.

Observing that organ donors are usually benevolent and want to provide new life to fellow beings, Dr Palin also reminded that human organs do not serve any purpose once the body is buried or cremated after death patient Ningthemjao reportedly came with a case of corneal opacity blindness at Shija Hospital and was examined by Dr Sachindra and decided to do the corneal transplant in the right eye.

It is said that cornea is harvested within four hours of death of the donor with the two eyes of the donor capable to give sight to two persons with corneal blindness.

Some organs in the body such as cornea, kidney, lungs, liver, heart, bone marrow, skin etc., can be donated and transplanted.

According to the Shija doctors India has more than 10,000 persons in need of cornea transplantation with maximum corneal transplantation done in South India.

Screening for HIV, Hepatitis C & B are done before donation.

Unlike the kidney transplantation, the rate of rejection is less, they maintained while informing that at Shija, the cost of cornea transplantation is about Rs 30,000, half the price of private hospitals in the metros.

Cornea defined as the rounded transparent portion of the eye through which the image passes to reach the retina for sight.

When the cornea is opaque, the light of the image cannot reach the retina and the object is not visible.

Corneal opacity may be caused by infection, trauma, malnutrition, etc.

Taking into account absence of functional eye bank in Manipur, Shija has initiated preparation for establishing eye bank in the state, they maintained informing that Shija Eye Care Foundation has already sent one technician for training of eye banking and another counsellor will also be sent shortly.