Good News For Cataract Patients:

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If you have a cataract, walk into the doctor's clinic, get a surgery and walk out in less than an hour to resume normal work.

Microphakonit, an innovation in cataract surgery by Chennai-based doctor Amar Agarwal, not only takes a few minutes to perform but also promises to also allow patients to resume regular activities almost immediately afterwards.

The new technique was demonstrated at the B.B. Eye Foundation here Sunday.

The surgical procedure, designed to improve treatment of cataract, uses micro incision (700 microns) surgery and is minimally invasive. It allows quicker recovery and better results.

About 300 leading ophthalmologists from across India watched on a giant screen as Agarwal along with P.K. Bakshi, eminent ophthalmologist and founder and director of B.B. Eye Foundation, performed the surgery.

It is now possible for a patient to walk in and get his cataract removed and get back to work or normal life almost immediately, claimed the two doctors.Microphakonit will be 20 to 30 percent costlier and it will take only 15 to 20 minutes to perform.

"This is a major milestone and a feather in India's cap. Agarwal's technique is a trendsetter and marks a new era in cataract surgery," said prominent doctor Bakshi.

There are 10 to 12 million cases of blindness in India every year. Of these, a whopping eight million are due to cataract, said Agarwal adding that his innovation is not patented. He hoped that doctors across the world would use this technique for safety and speedy recovery of patients.

Currently, in the whole of eastern and northeastern India, this surgical technique is available only at the B.B. Eye Foundation, said the doctors.