KIMS Performs Successful Corneal Transplant

By Swagatika Mohapatra

Bhubaneswar: Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) here has successfully performed its first corneal transplant, restoring vision to a 37-year-old patient who had suffered severe damage to his right eye due to an infection.

The procedure was performed on a 37-year-old man from the city by a team of eye specialists led by Dr Akshit Gupta. The surgery lasted around one and a half hours and was performed under local anaesthesia.

Dr Gupta said the patient had almost lost vision in his right eye due to the infection about three years ago. He said the successful surgery was an important milestone for KIMS, which received government approval to perform corneal transplants last week. KIMS is among the handful of hospitals in Odisha equipped with the expertise and facilities to perform the procedure.

Dr Subhangi Sahu said the patient had shown marked improvement in vision following the operation. However, it would take another two to three weeks for visual clarity to improve, with further recovery expected over the coming months.

Expressing happiness over the outcome, the patient expressed his deepest gratitude to the donor whose cornea had helped restore his vision.

The surgical team comprised Dr Gupta, Dr Matuli Das, and Dr Sahu along with Lochana Tripathy and Shyamali Routray.

The Founder of KIIT, KISS and KIMS Dr Achyuta Samanta has hailed the doctors for performing the first corneal transplant case successfully and had wished the patient a healthy life ahead.

According to doctors, around 10 lakh people in India require corneal transplants, while the availability of donated corneas remains far below the demand. Corneal donation plays a crucial role in restoring sight to people with damaged or diseased corneas.