L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Vijayawada becomes the first in the city and in the state of Andhra Pradesh to dispense speciality PROSE contact lenses to a patient as young as 3-year-old. This achievement is one of the firsts in the country as well.
A three-year-old, Guntureddy Hethwik, fell from his bed and suffered severe damage to his right eye due to an injury from a metal rod. The child was brought to L V Prasad Eye Institute’s KodeVenkatadriChowdary campus in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, and on emergency basis underwent a Scleral tear repair surgery. Post-surgery, it was observed that the child had significant irregular astigmatism. Which means, that the curvature of the cornea or lens of his eye was imperfect. Because of this, his vision was compromised and it would have worsened if not treated in time.
As the child was very young, and to avoid the eye became lazy, speciality contact lenses called PROSE was tested on him. These lenses restore visual function and support healing. Larger in size compared to the regular contact lenses, they are custom made for each patient. For better comfort, visual outcome and long-term use, personalized training is provided to each patient on the use of these lenses. The specialized contact lenses hugely benefit patients having severe eye injuries where a Scleral or corneal tear happened and those having advanced corneal problems.
'The LVPEI Vijayawada facility till now has dispensed over 46 speciality lenses to patients with excellent outcome. But this for the first time in the LVPEI network centres that these lenses were customized for a patient as young as Hethwik. The significant improvement in vision for this child is noteworthy after an injury as severe as his. With his improved vision Hethwik will now be able to live an active life like any other child of his age,' shares Dr Anasua Ganguly Kapoor, Campus Head, KodeVenkatadriChowdary Campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Vijayawada. In collaboration with Boston Foundation for Sight, USA, LVPEI is the only facility in India, to manufacture and also distribute these lenses to other eye care providers across the country.
The KodeVenkatadri Chowdary Campus at Tadigadapa in Vijayawada, established in February 2011, is LVPEI’s 3rd Tertiary eye care centre. True to the principles of the L V Prasad Eye Institute, 50% of the services at the centre are provided free of cost to the underprivileged, irrespective of the complexity of care needed. For the benefit of patients, LVPEI is also empanelled with the state Government’s YSR Aarogyasri scheme.
About LVPEI: Established in 1987, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Blindness, is a comprehensive eye health facility. The Institute has ten active arms to its areas of operations: Clinical Services, Education, Research, Vision Rehabilitation, Rural and Community Eye Health, Eye Banking, Advocacy and Policy Planning, Capacity Building, Innovation and Product Development. The LVPEI Eye Care Network has 236 Centres (Centre of Excellence, Tertiary, Secondary and Primary Eye Care Centres) spread across the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka in India. The institute's mission is to provide equitable and quality eye care to all sections of society. The LVPEI’s five-tier ‘Eye Health Pyramid’ model covering all sections of society right from the villages to the city, provides high quality and comprehensive - prevention, curative and rehabilitation – eye care to all. It has served over 32.11 million (3 crore 21 lakh people), over 50% of them entirely free of cost, irrespective of the complexity of care needed.
Website: www.lvpei.org