Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital booked after two women lose eyesight in botched surgeries

Hyderabad: Following two botched surgeries, two cases (causing grievous hurt by act endangering the life or personal safety of others) have been registered against Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital at the Punjagutta police station.

Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital is a chain of specialty hospitals in India headquartered at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and has around 10 branches in Hyderabad city.

K. Kalavathi, a 65-year-old resident of Banda Nagar in Domalaguda, visited Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital in Himayath Nagar. She consulted Dr. V. Latha who advised her to undergo a cataract operation on her left eye. On 30 September, the surgery was performed. Two days later, Kalavathi experienced pain in her left eye and partially lost her eyesight.

She went to the hospital and complained of pain and irritation in the left eye. The hospital authorities told her that her eye had become infected and took her to the hospital's Panjagutta branch. She was told that she would have to undergo an eye cleaning procedure. They took her to the hospital in their vehicle without any one of her family members present. At the Punjagutta branch, Dr. Akbar Saleem, a senior vitreoretinal surgeon, performed the surgery after which she lost her eyesight completely.

In another incident, 72-year-old D. Padma visited the eye hospital in Himayath Nagar. She was advised to undergo surgery for both her eyes. On 26 September, her right eye was operated on and four days later she underwent surgery on her left eye. However, from the next day, her vision in the left eye became blurry and gradually she lost her eyesight completely.

When she visited the hospital on 2 October, Dr. V. Latha suggested she visit Dr. Agarwal’s Hospital in Panjagutta for further treatment. At the Punjagutta branch, Dr. Akbar Saleem treated her for eye infection. They performed a second surgery on her left eye on 3 October without Padma's knowledge. Even after that, there was no improvement and she completely lost her vision in her left eye.

The police have registered cases in both the incidents and started an investigation.

In response to the criminal case booked against the hospital, the management said, "Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital is fully committed to providing world-class patient care, and our first responsibility is towards our patients. The recent incident is very unfortunate, and we are monitoring the situation closely. Our team of expert doctors and technicians ensures optimum outcomes for every surgical procedure, and remain committed to ensuring quality services to all our patients. In the meantime, we are cooperating fully with the local authorities."