Age no bar: 2-yr-old boy, 100-yr-old man undergo cataract surgery Both Beat Blur, Slaying Many A Misconception Too
Parth Shastri & Yagnesh Mehta TNN Ahmedabad/Surat :
Their vision was blurred and it had nothing to do with the 98-year generation gap between them. Two-year-old Lakshit Kayath of Surat and 100-year-old Mansukh Gandhi of Ahmedabad – both cataract patients – needed to go under the knife to improve their vision. Now, while one can now hope to clearly look forward to the future, the other can gladly look back at a life welllived, thanks to the efforts of Dr Manish Rawal, a city-based eye surgeon who operated upon Gandhi, a patient of diabetes, blood pressure and thyroid, who also contracted Covid-19 in 2021.
However, for Lakshit, it was the first of two cataract surgeries on Friday. While he was operated on the right eye at Surat’s Old Civil Hospital, he will undergo a similar surgery in the left eye after a few months. Cataract is rare among kids and as per experts, only three of Lakshit’s age are found with cataract out of 10,000. Difficulties with his sight in the only eye began last year for the centurion resident of Naranpura area in Ahmedabad. Gandhi, who had already lost an eye in an accident early on, was operated upon on Thursday. ›Continued on P 8 ‘Cataract may have formed during pregnancy’ The surgery was planned in October last year, but as his sugar levels shot up earlier this year, it had to be postponed. He’s very healthy and only required local anaesthesia.
The surgery went well,” said Dr Rawal, adding that Gandhi has remained his oldest patient to date. Talking about issues associated with cataract operation at an old age, Dr Rawal said that the cataract starts hardening as the age progresses after 65 years.
“We now use phacoemulsification procedure to remove the cataract, but at a very older age, it turns leathery and we need extra care. The operation also gets difficult due to relatively weaker eye muscles,” he added. Ghanshyam Gandhi, his son, said that his father’s life begins at 100. “He has had diabetes for the past 50 years. 5/14/22, 8:58 AM about:blank about:blank 2/2 But he has led a very disciplined life. He was driving a vehicle till the age of 95 years. He stopped only after the RTO did not renew his license! His joie de vivre inspires us all,” he said. Lakshit’s parents came to know about the cataract when they took the kid for a medical check-up for diarrhoea.
“The cataract was visible hence, we decided to remove it immediately as it can damage the boy’s vision permanently. The lens has been replaced with an imported foldable lens,” ophthalmic surgeon at OCHS, Dr Rishi Mathur, told TOI. About the reasons behind cataract at such a young age, Dr Mathur said:
“The exact reason is not known and could be because of infection during pregnancy. Parents should get routine health check-ups of children done on a regular basis.” Lakshit’s father Pavan works in a textile firm and he was unable to afford the surgery expenses at a private hospital which could cost him Rs 70,000 for one eye.
