Limestone paste sold in polythene packs and plastic tubes used in most of the North Karnataka houses with people having habit of chewing ‘pan’ poses a threat of causing blindness especially among toddlers, the government should seriously think towards banning the sale in such package, ophthalmic surgeons from M.M. Joshi Eye Institute, Hubballi, have urged.
The Directors of M.M. Joshi Eye Institute Shrinivas Joshi, R. Krishnaprasad and K.V. Satyamurthy, ophthalmic surgeons Rajashree and Manohar made this fervent appeal addressing a press conference in Hubballi on Friday.
The team held the press conference after operating on an 11-month old infant, which suffered vision loss after the child accidentally put limestone paste in the eye. A doctor’s team has performed corrective surgery known in medical terminology as Amniotic membrane transplantation with allogenic stem cell transplantation with tarsorrhaphy. But depending on the recovery, they may have to perform two more procedures after a span of a year. The infant’s cornea has suffered burn because of limestone entering the eye.
