I was waiting nervously in the plush lobby of a leading eye care nursing home in Calcutta, whilst my father was being operated ; this one being the second in a short span of  two weeks. Ideally, I should have been worried to a culpable extent, given that it was a matter of THE ultimate sensory organ, the eye. But I wasn’t petrified and not panicking anyway, as I was extremely satisfied with the fascinating technology and immaculate care provided by the team of doctors and nursing home staff. While care is something dependent on individuals, technology is not. According to me, technology is a boon which heightens to be a ‘life touching and changing ‘ experience and which comes to us in the form of  modern healthcare.

My father being seventy, developed cataract in both eyes which I believe, is a common phenomenon at his age. His case became a tad more complicated as he had a thrombosis in the right eye quite a few years ago and was detected with glaucoma in both eyes. When he informed me that his doctor had suggested cataract removal in both eyes coupled with correction for glaucoma, I was profusely worried, indeed. A simple Phaco-surgery for cataract removal wasn’t going to be the case for him. I could recall the ancient microsurgery experience, which both my grandmothers went through many years ago. There were only a few doctors in Calcutta who conducted the newly invented surgery, in those yesteryears . It was quite expensive and people were highly apprehensive  about the outcome because it was a new procedure. Years have passed by and advances in medical research has led to the easier and technologically smarter Phaco-surgery these days. Lucky to be born late in the era of these innovative techniques, I was far  less worried for my father than his pile of worries for my grandmothers about twenty years ago.

My father was scheduled for cataract removal through the Phaco-emulsification process which also involves implanting an artificial folding Intra-ocular lens (IOL). I had no idea about the procedure and equipment required until I was enlightened by the doctor’s briefing, which was followed by a video that demonstrates the procedure in detail. I was really impressed with the device they were using, the Ozil Torsional Phaco-emulsifier by Alcon Surgical, USA. It is a new and much improved emulsification technique which uses side-to-side oscillating movement to cut the lens as opposed to the forward and backward movement of traditional Phaco-surgery.

This latest technology in Phaco-surgery is safer than conventional linear Phaco system, provides better corneal protection, and has more control over ultrasound, vacuum and flow settings leading to faster recovery. This is the most advanced Phaco-surgery system in the world now. (source)

Unbelievable as it may sound, the whole procedure took precisely seven minutes as recorded by the patient himself who had witnessed the easiest and fastest surgery in his lifetime. My father was anesthetized  but he could keep his eyes open enough to watch the steps himself. He was impressed beyond words and kept describing it later to everyone he met. The surgeon wore a robot-like mask which had multiple wires connected to the main device. The scalpel and forceps he used were also connected to the main device and were electronically controlled which made the surgery easier. My father still reckons the incident, profusely amused about the surgeon’s attire – his mask and tentacles – closely resembled an alien!

All I can say is Kudos to this latest technique which has made an eye surgery seem like a minor one with minimal risks and time involved. It has enabled the surgeons to be more confident of treating cataract, which might be a minor and common ailment in senility but leads to fatal consequences if ignored at early stages. This kind of technology is making modern healthcare easy, fast and a way to connect and touch people’s lives leading them to a healthy lifespan.

This post is an entry for the contest How Does Modern Healthcare Touch Lives? conducted by Indiblogger in association with Apollo Hospitals. 

The cutting edge medical care by Apollo Hospitals can be found here.