Eye cancer facility saves sight and lives

| By Lynne Dulaney, Former Director of Communications
Categories: Eye Surgery, India
| Tags: , ,

We’ve all probably been affected by cancer in some way. Maybe you’ve fought the disease yourself or know someone currently going through treatment. Maybe you’ve participated in a walk or run to raise money for cancer research. Or, sadly, maybe you’ve lost a friend or loved one to the deadly disease.

Cancer affects us all, no matter which corner of the globe we live in. According to the World Health Organization, over eight million people die from cancer worldwide every year, with 70 percent of deaths occurring in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

As an organization dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness, we’re deeply concerned with one type of cancer: ocular cancer, or eye cancer. India alone has 5,000 new cases of eye cancer every year – the world’s highest – and more than half of the global burden of eye cancer.

Last year, in response to this threat to life and vision, a generous donor family stepped forward to help us open a world-class eye cancer facility at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad, India. The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer opened in September 2015. It provides quality, comprehensive cancer treatment for children and adults, all at low or no cost to them.

Since its opening, the Institute has examined 3,750 patients, 70 of whom were diagnosed with eye cancer and are now receiving appropriate treatment. We expect to treat another 430 patients before the end of the year.

Seven-year-old Sargun is currently undergoing chemotherapy sessions at the Institute. After years of watching their little boy go through tests and treatment at other facilities, Sargun’s parents are hopeful that the doctors at the Institute can save their son’s life. “Looking at the quality of services provided, we’re confident that Sargun is now in safe hands,” says Sargun’s mother.
This child was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a life-threatening eye cancer. Fortunately, with early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, the survival rates of children with retinoblastoma can be improved. Timely treatment can save 95 percent of the children suffering from the disease, and in 75 percent of cases, the child’s vision can be saved.
LVPEI’s Dr. Swathi Kaliki (far right) and her team in the new navigational surgery unit at the Institute. This is the first navigational surgery unit to be established at an eye hospital in Asia.
Specialists undergo training in the new, state-of-the-art operating theatre at the Institute.

Thanks to our donors, the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer will save countless lives with its early detection and integrated treatment programs. On Thursday, February 4, please join us in supporting World Cancer Day by celebrating the opening of this new Institute and telling others how we’re battling eye cancer in India. Together, we can continue to save vision and lives… for all the world to see!

Please consider making a donation to Operation Eyesight so we can continue to treat those with eye cancer and preserve their vision. We also encourage you to learn more about the symptoms of eye cancer and schedule regular eye exams yourself, so cancer and other blinding conditions can be detected and treated as early as possible.