'Centre of Excellence for Macula' comes up in TN capital

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Chennai, Mar 9 (UNI) Sankara Nethralaya, a city-based eye hospital, has set up the 'first-of-its-kind' 'Centre of Excellence for Macula' to provide a multidisciplinary and scientific approach to treat macular diseases.

Macula, an important part of the eye that performs the most complicated tasks like reading, colour discrimination and face recognition, could be affected by a plethora of diseases at all age groups.

Age related macular degeneration was a common disorder and was known to affect 11 per cent of the population in the age group of 65 to 74 years, Dr Lingam Gopal of Sankara Nethralaya said.

As macular disorder was second only to cataract as the most common cause of severe visual loss, it was extremely important to recognise and treat the disorders early before permanent damage occurred to this most sensitive part of the retina, he added.

The Centre would offer a comprehensive examination of macular diseases using state-of-the-art equipment. It will also serve as a teaching centre for postgraduates undergoing fellowship in vitreoretinal disorders.

Dr Gopal said a standard examination protocol for all macular disorders will provide a good database for future research plans.

Novartis Ophthalmics, a business unit of Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, has donated Veris Multifocal Electro Retinogram costing Rs 43 lakh.

The retinogram was an advanced version of the standard electroretinogram, which will enable detection of dysfunction of even small areas of the retina, like the macula.

UNI AKN GM MSJ DS1301

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X