Srinagar: Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth on Friday visited Tangdhar in Kupwara, where the Indian Army organised a mega eye surgical camp under ‘Operation Drishti’ and interacted with patients who underwent sight-restoring surgeries.
According to the details the 10th edition of the Mega Eye Surgical Camp was held on September 24 and 25 at an underground operation theatre at 328 Field Hospital in Tangdhar, a shelling-prone area along the Line of Control.
Surgeons from the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) performed 220 surgeries during the two-day camp, most of them cataract procedures, besides selective retinal interventions and minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS).
General Dhiraj Seth interacted with patients and distributed medicines and gifts. Director General Armed Forces Medical Services
Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja also visited the camp and appreciated the medical teams and local personnel involved in the initiative.
Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja said the camp brought highly experienced eye surgeons from Delhi to Tangdhar and praised the groundwork carried out to identify patients requiring surgery.
“The most commendable part is the groundwork done prior to this—the team worked hard to identify and reach out to the individuals who needed these surgeries the most. I commend everyone for their dedication to that effort,” he said.
The camp was led by Brigadier Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Head of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi Cantonment. His team carried advanced equipment for phacoemulsification, vitreoretinal and glaucoma procedures to the border area.
Patients from several LoC villages were screened before the camp, with the Indian Army facilitating their movement, treatment and post-operative care.
The 11th camp in the series is scheduled to be held in Srinagar from September 27 to 29, while the formal closing ceremony is scheduled for September 30 and will be attended by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha
