Two centuries of ophthalmic care

Pink-brick buildings are extra than simply brick and mortar. They’re like a storehouse of tales.

On {a partially} busy Rukmani Lakshmipathy Salai in Egmore, Chennai, stands one such establishment the place the previous and current co-exist: the 203-year-old Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and Authorities Authorities Ophthalmic Hospital (RIO-GOH), which is oldest ophthalmic institute in Southeast Asia. The institute was the second oldest eye hospital on the earth, after Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, which was established in 1809.

The prevalence of eye ailments amongst troopers led to the institution of ‘Madras Eye Infirmary’ in July 1819 at Royapettah. The hospital moved to the current location in 1884, and was re-named the Authorities Ophthalmic Hospital in 1888.

Whereas the previous block is situated on the jap aspect, a brand new constructing of ‘Shawfield’ got here up on the western aspect later. Initially, the hospital comprised three essential remoted blocks, an outpatient dispensary, European and Indian kitchen and a residence inaugurated on March 31, 1887. All these blocks had been linked by six corridors a 12 months later, in accordance with data within the hospital.

In actual fact, the Girl Lawley Block, constructed and occupied in 1911, remains to be in use for in-patients and homes an operation theatre.

“The hospital has seen the evolution of ophthalmology from historic strategies to essentially the most fashionable strategies of remedy. It has skilled 1000’s of ophthalmologists over time. Scores of ophthalmic chiefs throughout the nation have had their grooming right here,” identified M.V. S. Prakash, Director, RIO-GOH.

At this time, 600-800 sufferers stroll in for outpatient providers at RIO-GOH on daily basis. The hospital has a mattress power of 478. It affords providers in six sub-specialities of ophthalmology — cornea, orbit and oculoplasty, squint (paediatric ophthalmology and neuro ophthalmology), retina, glaucoma and uvea.

RIO-GOH receives sufferers from numerous elements of Tamil Nadu and in addition Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, Dr. Prakash stated, including that the hospital runs a round the clock trauma middle for treating eye accidents.

Affected person stream has been steadily rising after a slowdown in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Within the pre-COVID instances, we had 60,000 to 70,000 admissions per 12 months. In the course of the pandemic, it dropped to 35,000, and is choosing up now,” he stated.

The institute has been coaching ophthalmologists as properly. ‘The Elliot’s Faculty of Ophthalmology’, named after Lt. Col. R.H. Elliot, superintendent of the hospital from 1904 to 1913, was opened in 1920. The institute has 30 MS ophthalmology seats, apart from 30 diploma seats and 20 B.Sc. optometry seats. “Below the Nationwide Programme for Management of Blindness, we get docs from a number of States to get skilled in numerous sub-specialities right here,” Dr. Prakash added.

One of many key highlights of RIO-GOH is the museum within the Elliot Faculty, a treasure trove of ophthalmic data, specimens and devices. The museum has handwritten case sheets, hand- drawn portraits of sufferers with numerous eye issues akin to keloid and dermoid, eyeball fashions, and ophthalmic devices. An ophthalmic cryomachine used within the remedy of quite a lot of benign and malignant tumours utilizing excessive chilly to freeze and destroy irregular tissue is among the many devices on show.

“Hand-written manuscripts and case sheets written by British ophthalmologists which are 100 years previous are well-preserved by skilled curators. At a time when pictures was not out there, artistes had been engaged to sketch sufferers with numerous eye ailments,” the Director identified.

Renovation of the museum started in step with the bicentenary celebrations in 2019, and is in progress.

The nation’s first eye financial institution was established within the hospital in 1948 by R.E.S. Muthiah, who turned the superintendent a 12 months earlier. The primary corneal transplant was carried out in the identical 12 months after he returned from a research tour within the U.S.

The institute is now eyeing enlargement. A seven-storey block is being constructed as the current outpatient constructing was overcrowded and lacked satisfactory area. “The brand new facility is a spacious one. As soon as that is prepared, all of the speciality departments, situated within the current outpatient constructing will probably be shifted… This block may also have further operation theatres and wards. This may pave the best way for enlargement sooner or later,” Dr. Prakash stated.