UAE student regains 80% eyesight after pen incident injury
An intense eye wound resulted in a significant corneal tear and a serious cataract for Dhikshit Anoop. This threatened permanent loss of sight. At 15, this was scary news. His mother, Greeshma Anoop, first heard of his accident at school. She imagined it was slight and he'd likely need eye drops for a bit. Yet she didn't know the true extent of his injury. Her son lost his sight completely. It would take two operations and a long treatment period to regain some of his vision.
About Incident:
A pen thrown by a classmate hit a student in the right eye. This caused a significant corneal wound and a serious cataract, creating a threat of permanent blindness. The boy, named Dhikshit, reached the hospital several hours later. "His eye was in bad shape when he first arrived," said Dr. Parth Hemantkumar Joshi from Aster Hospital Mankhool. He is an eye doctor. The damage affected his cornea, lens, and vitreous.
We let his parents know about the injuries. We also explained that he would need two separate treatments. Moreover, he might take about four to six months to recover fully, and this would include visual therapy.
Getting a cataract after an injury like this is typical; it happens in 60 percent of major open eye injuries. Not long after, Dhikshit had his first surgery to stitch his eye up. Dr Parth said, "First, we needed to close the wound to stop any further infection or chances of sight loss, so we tightly sealed it using very thin stitches."
This operation was done under general anesthesia lasting under 45 minutes. Dhikshit got to go home after, allowing the stitches a chance to heal for over a month. Greeshma shared that this recovery stage was one of the family's most difficult experiences.
"Dhikshit loves soccer. When he wasn't on the field, I'd barely spot him at home," she shared. "All that changed when he wasn't allowed out for sports, or do anything strenuous. He got permission to watch TV though, so I brought him movies. Dhikshit wasn't a movie buff, but he seemed to enjoy it. My youngest, only 4, gave Dhikshit company. He always seemed to cheer him up." When the stitches healed, Dhikshit had another surgery.
"Once we had enough stability, we moved on to the next step," Dr. Parth stated. "Here we removed and replaced all the eye's damaged parts, like the lens and vitreous. An hour or so, and it was all done. In the end, we managed to recover 75-80% vision, which was terrific, especially given the initial total blindness in his right eye."
Dr Gazala Hasan Mansuri, an eye doctor part of the medical team, stressed the urgency of treatment in trauma cases. She warned, "Timeliness is key. Delay can spell disaster due to infection risks." Greeshma, a grateful family member, praised the doctors. She appreciated how Dr Parth thoroughly explained every process, fueling their trust in him. She confessed they've once thought of going back to India for treatment but chose to trust Dr. Parth instead.
She admired young Dhikshit's brave reaction, which gave the family the courage to stay steady despite their fears. She shared, "He showed no fear, insisting we didn't abandon our jobs to stay home with him. He was certain our stress would worsen his condition. So, we granted his wish, took minimal leaves. He was punctual with his medicine, eye care, and consultations."
The teenager returned to school on Monday. "Greeshma reported that teachers and friends welcomed him warmly," she said. "His teacher noted that his disappearance made the classroom quiet. While he's happy to return, he feels sad about missing the Under-15 football tournament in school this October."
Dr. Parth informs that Dhikshit needs glasses because of the incident, even though he didn't before. "The injury changed the corneal shape," he explained. "His vision is currently 80% restored, but we remain hopeful for further improvement in the coming months."
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