Operation Drishti: AFMS performs 220 eye surgeries at underground theatre near LoC

New Delhi: Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) surgeons performed 220 sight-restoring surgeries during a two-day mega eye camp at an underground operating theatre in Tangdhar, Kupwara, along the Line of Control (LoC), bringing specialised eye care to residents of a shelling-prone border area. The surgeries were conducted on September 24 and 25 under Operation Drishti.

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Most procedures were cataract surgeries, alongside selected retinal procedures and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. The camp was the 10th in a series of mega surgical eye camps envisaged by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

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Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth visited the camp, interacted with patients and distributed medicines and gifts. Director General AFMS Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja also visited and commended the medical team and local staff.

The camp was led by Brigadier Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Head of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi Cantonment. His team transported advanced phacoemulsification, vitreoretinal and glaucoma equipment across mountainous terrain. Patients from Khawarpora, Tangdhar, Tadd, Bagbela, Yangdar and nearby hamlets attended after screening and announcements on Radio Rooh-e-Karnah. Army personnel supported patients through arrival, treatment and recovery.

The latest camp brings the cumulative reach of the AFMS eye-camp series to more than 1.5 lakh patients screened and over 3,500 surgeries conducted across 10 cities, according to the Defence Ministry. The 11th camp is scheduled in Srinagar from September 27 to 29, with the formal closing ceremony on September 30.

The Tangdhar camp demonstrated the military medical services’ ability to deliver specialised surgical care in a difficult and security-sensitive border setting, reducing the need for residents to travel to larger urban centres for treatment.

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