Under Operation Drishti, military surgeons have successfully performed 220 sight-restoring surgeries at an underground operating theatre located near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. This initiative marks a significant milestone in providing medical care in the region, as announced by the defence ministry on Friday.
The camp was led by Brigadier Sanjay Mishra, head of ophthalmology at the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in Delhi Cantonment. His team carried advanced phacoemulsification, vitreoretinal and glaucoma equipment across the mountainous terrain. Seth interacted with the patients and distributed medicines and gifts. Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja, director general, Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), also visited the camp and appreciated the surgeons and the local team for their exceptional skills and efforts. This was the 10th camp under the AFMS’ series of mega surgical eye camps, a scheme envisaged by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
More than 1.50 lakh patients have been screened and over 3,500 surgeries have been conducted across 10 cities under the scheme, the defence ministry said.
Patients from Khawarpora, Tangdhar, Tadd, Bagbela, Yangdar and neighbouring hamlets attended the camp after screening and a broadcast on Radio Rooh-e-Karnah, with the Indian Army guiding each patient from arrival through recovery, the defence ministry said. “Most interventions were cataract surgeries, along with selective retinal procedures and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery,” it said in a statement.
