The Hindu Business Line : The dawn of a new vision

Until recently people from West Bengal in general and Kolkata in particular headed South – especially to Chennai and Hyderabad – for their eye care requirements. This was because of two important factors. One, the non-availability of appropriate infrastructure for eye diagnostics, treatment and surgical facilities in Kolkata. Second, the presence of renowned institutions like Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai and LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad. Today, it is d ifferent. For many in need of eye treatment, the journey down South is no longer obligatory, with Sankara Nethralaya, LV Prasad Eye Institute and Aravind of Madurai, among others, having set up operations in the city either on their own or in collaboration with local healthcare institutions.

Stand-alone facilities

A GKB Opticals showroom.

Till a few years ago, eye care facilities were not optimally available here. Even certain facilities like surgical retina were underdeveloped. As a result, most eye care centres could not offer complete treatment and all facilities were not available under one roof.

The story has changed since with several stand-alone facilities having come up in the city with each offering complete eye care facilities under one roof. To provide a fillip to eye care in Kolkata, several post-graduates who had gone to institutions in South India for their fellowship programmes have come back to Kolkata. Optical care companies such as GKB Opticals and Lawrence & Mayo have also contributed in no mean measure to eye care facilities in the city. And the following are a few crucial stakeholders who have contributed to Kolkata’s emergence as a hub of quality eye care in the region.

SANKARA NETHRALAYA

Sankara Nethralaya, which has formally launched its high tech eye care facility in Kolkata, is currently located at Raja Subodh Mullick Square in the heart of the city. It is constructing a 50,000 sq.ft, six-storied building at Mukundopur, off the Eastern Bypass, at an investment of Rs 20 crore. The new facility is expected to become operational by May 2008, according to Dr Lingam Gopal, Chairman of Sankara Nethralaya.

Sankara Nethralaya’s specialty eye care facility at Raja Subodh Mullick Square commenced its services with outpatient facilities in July. At present, around 150 patients are treated there every day. Soon, the number of consultants at the centre will be hiked from the current five to eight. With each consultant being able to see 45-50 patients daily, the number of people who can avail themselves of facilities at Sankara Nethralaya here will soon touch about 400 every day. Leased telephone lines are being acquired to facilitate expert consultation with Sankara Nethralaya’s headquarters in Chennai via tele-ophthalmology.

Specialised eye treatment

According to Dr Gopal, the Kolkata facility of Sankara Nethralaya will offer specialised eye treatment. Only very advanced surgeries will be referred to Chennai. “Many patients from Kolkata go to Chennai for treatment. We are thrilled to be here and are sure that we will be able to fulfil the needs of specialty eye care in Kolkata,” he said.

When the Sankara Nethralaya facility was formally launched here on August 19, Dr S.S. Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus and President of the Board of Management of Medical Research Foundation, the registered society that runs Sankara Nethralaya, had said the modern ophthalmology facility would be affordable to the common man.

Non-paying patients would comprise 25 per cent of the total number of patients treated even as 25 per cent of the operations would be done free of cost.

When fully operational, the Sankara Nethralaya hospital at Mukundopur will treat 700-800 patients a day and conduct 50-60 operations daily. It will operate as a super specialty eye hospital as well as a referral eye hospital for the eastern and north-eastern region. One full floor at the hospital will be dedicated to community ophthalmology.

SURYODAYA EYE CENTRE

A facility at Suryodaya Eye Centre

Following a tie-up that was forged with LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) of Hyderabad in November 2005, the Suryodaya Eye Centre was set up within the premises of The Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI).

The collaboration was the first of its kind in the eastern region to develop a tertiary eye care centre with special emphasis on research and training.

The centre has all the latest cutting edge technology in terms of equipment and trained manpower. The manpower training is provided at LVPEI. Doctors at Suryodaya are equipped to treat all major sub-specialities in eye care, such as cornea, glaucoma, retina, oculoplastics and paediatric eye diseases.

Separate units

Suryodaya has facilities for cornea grafting and separate units to deal with ocular infections and trauma. The paediatric unit is equipped to deal with complicated childhood diseases like developmental cataract, glaucoma and retinopathy of prematurity. Complicated vitreo-retinal surgeries are performed as also laser surgeries, age-related macular degeneration and photo dynamic therapy. Diabetic eye care facilities are also available.

Over 100 patients are treated at the OPD every day even as 150 surgeries are conducted every month at affordable costs.

According to Dr Bhaskar Roy Choudhury of , Head of the Department, Suryodaya Eye Centre, patients prefer stand-alone eye hospitals over general hospitals which also have eye care facilities “because of the comfort factor and also because they tend to feel lost in a general hospital”.

CMRI plans to hive off Suryodaya Eye Centre as a separate hospital that will be located adjacent to its premises on Diamond Harbour Road in Kolkata.

GKB OPTICALS

After consolidating its position as India’s premier lens manufacturer, GKB Opticals ventured into retailing under the name of GKB Opticals by opening its first outlet in Gariahat, Kolkata, in 1968. From one store in 1968, GKB Opticals today has a pan-India presence in 11 cities with 36 company-owned retail outlets.

With lifestyles changing, GKB Opticals is attempting to give Indian fashion a new high. GKB Opticals has forged strategic alliances with international brands such as Rodenstock of Germany and Seiko of Japan. These brands are well known for their super performance products that combine technology and aesthetics and are worn as style statements by the elite.

GKB Opticals also dispenses top international brands like Mont Blanc, Porche, Armani, Gucci, Christian Dior, Tommy Hilfiger, Vogue, Swarovski, Levi’s Prada, Oakley and Cartier, among others.

The company has launched Mission Vision, a Corporate Better Vision Programme that envisages reaching out to corporates within the latter’s own workplace.

LAWRENCE & MAYO

Lawrence & Mayo Opticals entered the field of optometry and optical dispensing in India in 1877. Since then, the company has expanded and has a network of 43 showrooms located across 17 cities of the country. As a part of its continuing initiatives to provide the best practice and technology in eye care,

Lawrence & Mayo has launched Precision Eye Care, a standardised and comprehensive eye testing programme. The Precision Eye Test is a comprehensive eye examination conducted by well-qualified and experienced optometrists across all Lawrence & Mayo outlets in India.

More Stories on : Health | Medical Institutions & Hospitals | West Bengal

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