For the group of forty beaming young college students and their lecturers from the Vidyasagar Women’s College of Education, Chengalpet Taluk, Saturday, 14th Dec 2013 was a significant and memorable day out at Sankara Nethralaya, they were on a visit to understand and appreciate the fundamental operations at a leading tertiary Ophthalmic care institution, that stands edifice to the primordial cause of allaying blindness.
Welcoming the college students upon arrival at the Sri.V.D.Swami Auditorium, Dr. Shweta Agarwal, Consultant at the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Department briefed them on LASIK, a bladeless refractive surgery to dispense with spectacles for better vision and aesthetic looks. She also enumerated the importance of Eye donation both as a matter of social responsibility and to lend vision to over 10 million people in India alone.
Speaking about Contact Lenses Ms.Amudha Oli, Senior Optometrist, Contact Lens Clinic detailed their role in corneal corrections leading to improved vision and enhanced appearance with nil distortions.
Ms.Vijayalakshmi, Senior Manager, Department of Optometry lectured on the need for Comprehensive Eye examination for precise evaluation and treatment modalities.
The students were enthralled with a live demo of a surgery session in progress by Dr. Kavitha Kalaivani Natarajan, Consultant, Pediatric Ophthalmology Department.
Dr. Sheila John, Head, Tele Ophthalmology explained in depth on Community Ophthalmology services at Sankara Nethralaya that gave vision to millions of people across rural India and the latest technology at the Mobile Surgical Bus that served at the threshold of inaccessible and remote villages.
Briefing the students on the functionalities at various departments as they took the tour of the hospital Ms.Kavitha, Senior Executive, Fund raising department stressed on the social responsibility of each and every citizen to stand in unison to combat blindness and enthused the students to associate themselves for the institution’s mammoth cause.
The day concluded with the highly gratified students recording their appreciation on the immense value they stood to gain.