Cognizant Foundation, the CSR arm of consulting and IT major Cognizant, has funded high-speed vitrectomy surgical equipment at Vittala International Institute of Ophthalmology (VIIO), a charity focused on improving access to specialty eye care.
Vitrectomy is a type of eye surgery used to treat disorders of the retina (the light-sensing cells at the back of the eye) and vitreous (the clear gel-like substance inside the eye). The equipment funded by Cognizant Foundation will enable advanced surgeries in treating diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataract and eye injuries that are major causes of blindness in India.
"This equipment is best-in-class and highly advanced with features that increases precision of surgery by 4 times and reduces cost by 5 times. The precision reduces the recovery time of the patient and increases the success of surgery by nearly 85%. Nearly half of the current surgeries can be performed with this new equipment donated by Cognizant Foundation," said Krishna R Murthy, DOMS FMRF FRCOphth (London), Medical Director of VIIO and a senior vitrectomy retinal surgeon. We expect this equipment to serve between 300 and 400 patients per year and ultimately reach out to over 3,000 patients over the machine's lifetime, he added.
Founded in 2001 by Sri Keshava Trust as a tertiary eye care centre in Bengaluru, VIIO offers cataract, corneal and refractive, retina, glaucoma, uvea and ocular inflammation, pediatric, custom ocular prosthesis, low vision, community ophthalmology and clinical laboratory services.