A gun pellet that flew from a rifle shooting practice in Azad Maidan almost blinded a 27-year-old man who was on his way to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus station. Nearly two months after the incident, the patient requires a second surgery, for which he is raising funds.
According to the doctors, the incident occurred on February 16, when the patient, who works as a peon at a Ghatkopar company, was on his way to take the train. His left eye began bleeding profusely and he was admitted to St. George Hospital.
After initial treatment, he was shifted to Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital where the X-ray and CT scan revealed that the pellet was lodged deep in the retina. “The pellet was almost 8 mm, and had caused a scleral tear, broken the lens of the eye and torn the retina where it had got lodged,” said Dr. S. Natarajan, senior retina specialist at the hospital, who has operated on many pellet victims from Kashmir.
Since 2016, he has carried out nearly 246 procedure for pellet victims. He said the surgery involved removing the pellet and repairing the scleral tear as well as removing the lens of the eye, which was badly damaged due to the impact.
Dr. Natrajan said the patient is able to see up to a metre. “We have managed to restore the shape of the eye and are hoping his vision improves,” he said.
The second surgery will be to repair the retinal detachment, for which he is raising funds through friends and relatives. The hospital has subsidised the cost of his procedure. Dr. Natrajan said it was extremely negligent to conduct shooting practice in a crowded place like Azad Maidan.
The Azad Maidan police registered a case and the coach was arrested under Section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code.
Kashmir teen operated
On Monday, a teenager from Kashmir who lost vision in his left eye due to a pellet injury was operated at the Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital. On March 19, Abid Gulzar Reshi (17) was on his way to his medical entrance coaching class when protesters stopped his bus.
Violent protests had broken out after the death of a teacher, who was picked up for questioning following the Pulwama attack, in police custody. Reshi, who began walking to his destination, was hit by a pellet from the police shooting. After the first surgery in Srinagar, he underwent the second surgery in Mumbai. The pellet could not be removed as it had crossed the eyeball.