CMC Vellore, Kotak Mahindra collaborate to treat eye cancer among children

The Christian Medical College (CMC) has launched advanced ophthalmic diagnostic and therapeutic services for patients with eye cancers, especially children with retinoblastoma, the most common type of childhood eye cancer, as well as retinopathy of prematurity, an eye disease seen in preterm births, in Vellore recently.

According to a press release, the equipment, funded by Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) under its CSR initiative, included the retinal wide-field digital system - a high-end widefield camera for imaging the insides of affected eyes. The initiative also included a diode laser transpupillary thermotherapy unit - a laser machine to treat eye tumours, a new tonometer for measuring eye pressure, as well as a selective laser trabeculoplasty software to treat glaucoma, the second most common cause of preventable blindness.

In his address, Vikram Mathews, Director, CMC Vellore, said that retinoblastoma is a curable cancer when diagnosed early and treated promptly. “With this state-of-the-art equipment, CMC will be able to double the number of patients being benefited. CMC is the only hospital for a 140 km radius around Vellore that offers this service,” he said.

Himanshu Nivsarkar of Kotak Mahindra Bank said that access to quality healthcare should be a right, especially for children battling life-threatening conditions like eye cancer. “Through the partnership with CMC, the bank will help to transform the lives of young patients and their families,” he said.

The initiative supports the procurement of an advanced life support (ICU) ambulance to facilitate seamless inter-hospital transfers for the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) of CMC. The CMC’s EMS doctors, paramedics, and nurses cater to around 1,000 critically-ill adult and paediatric patients every month, the release said.