Doctor regains vision following a one-of-a-kind procedure at private hospital in Chennai

In a complex procedure, specialists at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital in Chennai helped a 44-year-doctor, who had become completely blind, regain vision in one eye.

Speaking at a press conference held on Wednesday (February 18, 2026), Soosan Jacob, director and chief, Dr. Agarwal’s Refractive and Cornea Foundation, explained that the patient, a gynaecologist from Mumbai, had had progressive vision loss over 10 years, caused by severe glaucoma and multiple refractory intraocular pathologies, and had not responded to previous surgery.

During a detailed investigation, doctors here discovered that a key issue in the patient’s condition was that the lens in her left eye was not in its proper position. The lens had moved, pressing against the iris and cornea, resulting in the front layers of the eye getting fused together.

During the surgery, once the old artificial lens was removed, a technique known as 5F-ISHF, developed by Dr. Jacob, was used to implant a new intraocular lens. This technique, she explained, does not involve creating either a flap or a flange as done conventionally, but uses a pocket in the layers of eye and then, with a microscopic needle, the lens is inserted. The doctors then dissected the fused portions at the front of the eye layer by layer, separating them and reconstructing the damaged areas.

S. Soundari, regional head, clinical services, explained that this technique is particularly useful in complex cases or in cases where there is no place to put the lens. Manoj Khatri, clinical lead and head, department of Vitreo-Retina, noted that the technique offers a high degree of stability of the lens, fixing it in a near-natural position.

Following the operation, the patient regained 6/24 vision in her left eye (her right eye was not responsive to light, and therefore, could not be operated upon). Doctors said she was able to walk and eat independently, and with further healing, would perhaps be able to practise again.