In a first, military surgeons perform eye surgeries in underground OT near LoC

Military surgeons performed 220 sight-restoring surgeries for the first time at an underground operating theatre near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir under Operation Drishti, the defence ministry said on Friday.

The two-day eye camp, visited by Army chief General Dhiraj Seth, was held in Kupwara’s Tangdhar area, a shelling-prone zone, it said.

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. 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.

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.

The 11th camp in this series will be held in Srinagar from September 27 to 29. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will attend the closing ceremony next week.