18 cataract patients go blind in India

COLOMBO (News 1st); Indian Media revealed that 18 people allegedly lost their eyesight in one eye after an operation at a government hospital in Rajasthan.

Over 20 patients in Sri Lanka were infected after they had used the drug Prednisolone which was brought down through an Indian Company. 

Eighteen people allegedly lost their eyesight in one eye after an operation at Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, which is the biggest government hospital in Rajasthan.

When the patients complained of severe eye pain, the hospital authorities asked them to get themselves readmitted to the hospital. However, even after they underwent surgery again – some of them underwent surgery more than two times – they could not regain their lost vision.

Indian media reported that the patients had lost their sight after being infected with a bacteria named Pseudomonas. 

However, Indian media did not specify if the infection had a connection to a medical drug that was used on the patients. 

About 20 patients who underwent eye operations at the National Eye Hospital and the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital suffered infections in their eyes and some complained of even having lost sight in their eyes. 

It was later revealed that a drug named Prednisolone that was used on these patients had caused the infection. 

Burkholderia Cepacia was identified as the bacteria that caused the infection. 

When inquired by News 1st Senior Lecturer at the Department of Microbiology of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of Sri Jayawardenapura Dr. Thushari Dissanayake said the bacteria named Pseudomonas and Burkholderia Cepacia are two types of bacteria. 

She added however they are very similar and react in similar ways. 

Dr. Dissanayake said it is difficult to identify these two bacteria by only conducting preliminary tests adding however there are tests that can be conducted to identify the two types of bacteria separately.  

The company that brought down the drug Prednisolone that caused the infection in the eyes of 18 Sri Lankan patients is located in the state of Gujarat located adjacent to the state of Rajasthan where the Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital is located. 

They are located at a distance of approximately 800km. 

However, Indian media has still not confirmed if the loss of sight in the patients was caused due to the use of a medical drug. 

During the month of May in the United States four people died and 14 people lost their sight after an eye drop they used was contaminated with this bacteria. 

That eye drop too was manufactured by an Indian Company. 

Sri Lankan health officials said that the stock of Prednisolone in question had been removed from use. 

They went on to note that this had been a medical drug registered with the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) for over four years.