Dr. Pradhan's Eye Care

10/05/2026

10/05/2026

DST (diagnostic, screening, and treatment) eye camp at Mongpong village 10/05/26. Ophthalmology is a community-based specialty because, without the community, there's very little ophthalmology, and without ophthalmology, there would be a pandemic of treatable blindness. Let me elaborate. Cataract remains the leading cause of reversible blindness worldwide. The burden is greatest in low- and middle-income countries, especially in South Asia and Africa. According to recent global estimates, around 17 million people are blind due to cataract worldwide, and nearly 83 million people have moderate to severe visual impairment from cataract. Cataract accounts for a very large proportion of avoidable blindness globally, especially in populations above 50 years of age. India carries one of the world's largest cataract burdens. Approximately 9 to 12 million Indians are blind due to cataract. Cataract contributes to roughly 60-66% of blindness in India. A more recent estimate suggested a total cataract prevalence of around 30 million people in India. India is estimated to add around 3 to 4 million new visually significant cataract cases annually. This continuous inflow is why the backlog persists despite large surgical numbers. Globally, an estimated 28 to 32 million cataract surgeries are performed annually. India performs one of the highest numbers of cataract surgeries in the world. Recent estimates show around 6.5 to 8.3 million cataract surgeries annually. India's cataract surgical rate exceeds 5000 surgeries per million population per year. This is a major public health achievement compared to the 1980s and 1990s. The backlog means people already blind or significantly visually impaired from cataract who still await surgery. Historical estimates showed a backlog of around 12 million cataract blind persons or 22 million blind eyes. Although the prevalence of blindness has declined over decades, India still carries a large backlog because the population is aging, life expectancy is increasing, rural access remains uneven, and new cases continue to develop yearly. India has made remarkable progress through the National Programme for Control of Blindness, NGO partnerships, institutions like Aravind Eye Care System and LV Prasad Eye Institute, outreach camps, MSICS techniques, and low-cost intraocular lenses. Blindness prevalence from cataract has steadily declined over the last few decades. Yet the challenge now is not only quantity but quality, follow-up, refractive outcomes, and reaching remote populations. For a country like India, cataract surgery is more than an operation; it is restoration of livelihood, mobility, dignity, and independence for millions of elderly people. So you get the picture. In our DST eye camp today, 60 patients were screened and treated for refractive errors, dry eyes, allergic conjunctivitis, and out of them, 13 patients have cataracts, two have Pterygium, one has closed-angle glaucoma, and one has disc edema, which will have to be investigated further to ascertain the cause. The cataract patients will be brought to our centre for surgery tomorrow. It's a never-ending business, but I like it because my endorphin levels rise. 

10/04/2026

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07/04/2026

World Health Day: The Eye — A Window to the Body

Health often announces itself softly.
Sometimes, it is the eye that speaks first.

On this World Health Day, it is worth pausing to reflect on a simple truth — the eye is not an isolated organ. It is a living extension of the brain, richly supplied by blood vessels, and quietly reflective of the body’s inner state.

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Why the Eye Matters Beyond Vision

We look at the world through our eyes.
But the eye, in turn, allows the doctor to look into us.

Unlike most organs, the eye offers a direct view of blood vessels and nerves without any incision. A careful examination can reveal early signs of disease — often before symptoms appear elsewhere.

Diseases the Eye Can Reveal Early Diseases the Eye Can Reveal Early

Diabetes • Small hemorrhages or swelling in the retina
• May appear before a patient feels unwell
• Early detection can prevent blindness

Narrowed or damaged retinal vessels
• Cotton wool spots and hemorrhages
• Sometimes the first clue to uncontrolled blood pressure Narrowed or damaged retinal vessels
• Cotton wool spots and hemorrhages
• Sometimes the first clue to uncontrolled blood pressure • Swelling of the optic nerve (papilledema)
• Pale optic disc in long-standing disease
• Can signal raised intracranial pressure or nerve damage

Systemic and Autoimmune Diseases • Inflammation inside the eye (uveitis)
• Vessel changes in autoimmune conditions
• Clues to diseases like lupus, sarcoidosis, or tuberculosis Why Early Eye Check-ups Matter

Many systemic diseases are silent in the beginning.
But the eye may show:
• Tiny hemorrhages
• Subtle swelling
• Early nerve damage

A simple eye examination can therefore become a life-saving window, not just a vision test.

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What You Can Do
• Get your eyes checked regularly, even if vision seems normal
• If you have diabetes or hypertension, do not skip annual retinal exams
• Encourage children to spend more time outdoors — protecting against myopia
• Reduce screen strain and maintain good visual habits
• Seek help early for redness, blurred vision, or discomfort

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A Closing Reflection

The eye is small, but it carries the weight of the body’s story.
It reflects health, strain, disease — sometimes before the rest of the body notices.

On this World Health Day, let us remember:
To care for the eye is to care for the whole self.

And sometimes, by looking into the eye,
we learn to see the body more clearly.

— Dr. Rajan Pradhan, M.D. (AIIMS)

This is general medical information - an in-person consultation is advised.

08/03/2026

World Glaucoma Week 2026 is observed from 8 March to 14 March 2026, and World Glaucoma Day falls on 12 March 2026.

08/03/2026

World Glaucoma Week 2026
“Protect Your Vision - Get Your Eyes Checked for Glaucoma.”

Every year in March, eye doctors across the world observe World Glaucoma Week to remind people of a quiet but serious disease - glaucoma.

Glaucoma is often called the “silent thief of sight.” It damages the optic nerve slowly and painlessly. Vision loss begins at the edges and gradually moves inward. By the time a person notices difficulty seeing, a large part of the damage may already be permanent.

The tragedy is simple. Blindness from glaucoma is irreversible, but it is largely preventable if detected early.

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What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, the delicate cable that carries visual signals from the eye to the brain.

In many patients this damage occurs because of raised pressure inside the eye. In others, glaucoma may occur even when eye pressure appears normal.

Without treatment, glaucoma slowly reduces the field of vision and can eventually lead to blindness.

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Why Is Glaucoma Dangerous?
• It usually has no early symptoms.
• Vision loss begins peripherally, so patients may not notice it.
• The damage to the optic nerve cannot be reversed.
• Many people discover it too late.

For this reason, glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide.

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Who Is at Risk?

You should be especially careful if you:
• Are over 40 years of age
• Have a family history of glaucoma
• Have diabetes or high blood pressure
• Have high eye power (myopia)
• Have used steroid medicines for a long time
• Have had eye injuries or previous eye surgery

Even people without these risk factors can develop glaucoma.

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What Are the Symptoms?

Most patients have no symptoms in the early stages.

In advanced stages, people may notice:
• Loss of side vision
• Difficulty seeing in dim light
• Frequent change of spectacles
• In rare cases, severe eye pain, headache, and blurred vision (acute angle closure glaucoma)

But remember - waiting for symptoms is dangerous.

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How Is Glaucoma Detected?

A simple eye examination by an ophthalmologist can detect glaucoma early. The examination usually includes:
• Measurement of eye pressure (Tonometry)
• Examination of the optic nerve
• Visual field testing
• OCT scan of the optic nerve or retinal nerve fiber layer

These tests are painless and quick.

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Can Glaucoma Be Treated?

Yes. While the lost vision cannot be restored, further damage can usually be prevented.

Treatment may include:
• Eye drops to lower eye pressure
• Laser treatment
• Surgery in selected cases

With regular treatment and follow-up, most patients can preserve useful vision for life.

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A Simple Message

If you are over 40 years old, make it a habit to have a complete eye examination once every year.

If someone in your family has glaucoma, other members should also get checked.

Early detection saves sight.

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A Final Thought

In cataract, blindness can be reversed.
In glaucoma, vision once lost cannot be brought back.

That is why awareness, screening, and early treatment matter so much.

During World Glaucoma Week, take a small step - get your eyes examined and encourage others to do the same.

Sight is precious. Guard it while you still have it.

— Dr. Rajan Pradhan, M.D. (AIIMS)
Community Ophthalmologist

This is general medical information - an in-person consultation is advised.

23/02/2026

Ophthalmology is a community based speciality
Yesterday,22Feb2026, our team from Centre for Eye Sight went to Galgalia Bihar to screen patients for cataract. They were able to bring in four or five patients for surgery today. Since I wasn’t present in the camp, therefore I will have to examine all of them to check how much of cataract they have, check their retina to see if it’s ok, see if there are corneal opacities or infection elsewhere or in the outer eye. Any infection rules out surgery until it has been treated. I am particularly happy that five patients willingly came with the team. There are more to be brought in after we send the first lot home. I always talk of drop outs, ie patients not coming. The best way to ensure is to bring some of them or all of them together. That may become a logistal nightmare but a drop out is like a wash out in a cricket game/ most frustrating.
We are planning to have more camps with the same organisers; when we do we will invite the operated patients to say a few good words about their experience with us and how their Post operative vision is. They become the ambassadors and word of mouth is the best form of advertisement. May their surgeries go well and God speed.

02/02/2026

Tears in my eyes
A 77 year old lady came to me today from Darjeeling because she has posterior polar cataracts according to her daughter in law. It’s unusual for a patient or their guardian come with the diagnosis! Their doctor in Darjeeling told them she has posterior polar cataract, operating on which entails per operative complications. He is absolutely correct but I feel it was unnecessary to have referred her to Siliguri because it cannot be cone in Darjeeling- his words. There are equally competent doctors in Darjeeling who can handle such a case.
Anyway; what brought tears to my eyes was she recognising me after a quarter of a century when she says I had operated on her husband’s eyes who unfortunately is paralysed but can see more clearly than the rest of them and watches television! She was ever so grateful for one good deed I had done in the past; ever so humble and trusting that she knows she is eventually in good hands and will get her cataract surgeries done by me. Thank you God that there are still such beautiful people in this world.

24/01/2026

Modern eye hospitals are quiet places.
They look almost empty of beds.
This is not neglect. It is design.

Ophthalmology has changed.
Most eye procedures today are short, precise, and bloodless. Cataract surgery, once a long admission, is now a 10–15 minute operation. The patient walks in awake, and walks out seeing better.

Beds were needed when surgery meant pain, stitches, and days of recovery.
Phacoemulsification, MSICS, topical anesthesia, and foldable lenses changed that rhythm. Healing became rapid. Complications became fewer. Observation replaced admission.

There is also dignity in going home.
Patients recover better in familiar surroundings. Elderly people sleep poorly in wards. Anxiety reduces when hospital stay is brief. Medicine learned this slowly, but firmly.

Economics plays a role, but not a crude one.
Beds are expensive to maintain and rarely used in modern eye care. Space is better used for operation theatres, diagnostics, lasers, and day-care recovery rooms. A hospital must serve many eyes, not house a few bodies.

This does not mean beds are obsolete.
They are still essential for trauma, pediatric anesthesia, complex retinal surgery, and rare complications. Good eye hospitals keep a few beds. They simply do not build their identity around them.

The absence of beds is a sign of confidence.
Confidence in technique.
Confidence in safety.
Confidence that healing does not always require lying down.

Eye hospitals today are places you pass through, not places you stay.
That, quietly, is progress.

This is general medical information - an in-person consultation is advised.

19/01/2026

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4.5/ 5 Ratings)

15/01/2026

In the quiet of the winter months, news of a deadly virus returning to eastern India has unsettled many. Nipah virus infection is not new to this part of the world. It has appeared in West Bengal before and carries a high risk of severe disease and death without timely care and containment. 

At this moment, however, the reports from Burdwan district sketch only a local cluster of concern, not a full-blown outbreak with sustained community spread. 

– In early January 2026, two nurses working in a private hospital in the Barasat–Barrackpore area of West Bengal tested positive for Nipah virus infection and are critically ill. Their condition led to extensive contact tracing by health authorities. 
– One of these nurses was originally from Purba (East) Bardhaman district (Katwa area). As a result, health teams in Burdwan have intensified surveillance and quarantine efforts. 
– Local officials reported that the number of people identified as having contact with possible cases in Burdwan — including healthcare workers and others — has increased as tracing continues. These contacts are being monitored and tested for symptoms. 
– At least 48 contacts were placed under observation or quarantine, and isolation wards have been readied at Burdwan Medical College and Hospital. 
– On some days, a few health staff with symptoms were admitted for observation and sample testing while authorities await laboratory confirmation. 

At this stage, no widespread surge of cases across the district has been officially announced. The situation remains one of heightened vigilance and containment rather than an established epidemic. State and national teams are involved in contact tracing, sample testing, and preparation of isolation facilities. 

Nipah virus infection is serious and spreads by close contact with infected bodily fluids, contaminated food (particularly date palm sap), and through person-to-person transmission in healthcare or family settings. It has a high fatality rate and often requires intensive supportive care. 

Reflective note
Medicine calls us to watch, to measure risk with calm minds, and to act with both firmness and kindness. Data from Burdwan show a community at the threshold — acting swiftly to identify, isolate, and care, not to abandon hope. In such moments, simple measures — hygiene, honest communication, and readiness to seek care — become anchors of safety.

— Dr. Rajan Pradhan, M.D. (AIIMS)
This is general medical information — an in-person consultation is advised.