HEALTH

Valuable tips for patients considering laser surgery
Our Correspondent

Dr Ajeet Bhardwaj examines a patient in his clinic.

The latest to voice an opinion is Dr.Ajeet Bhardwaj, Optometrist and member of the Governing Board, World Council of Optometry. He has five tips for patients seeking Lasik surgery:

Five Tips

* Age - The age of the patient should be more than 18 years and his spectacle prescription should be stable for 2 years.

* Corneal thickness - Corneal thickness should be more than 520 micron.

* Pupil size - Pupil size should be less than 6:00 mm under dark conditions.

* Dry eyes - Patients with dry eyes should avoid going in for Lasik.

* Health conditions - Patients who are pregnant or have a history of rheumatoid arthritis should avoid going in for Lasik. Patients with Glaucoma and Keratinous are not ideal for Lasik.

Complications

Following the Lasik surgery, there can be a few complications:

* Night glare: Severe night glare can reduce vision, poor lighting can cause haziness. Patients with large pupils and high myopia are at a greater risk.

* Dry eyes: Due to ablation of cornea, its front surface becomes uneven, causing dry eyes and progressive decrease in tear clearance.

* Long-term eye irritation: Decrease in sensitivity of the eyes following Lasik surgery disrupts tear production, causing long-term irritation which results in red eyes.

* Reduced contrast sensitivity: Patients looses sense of contrast and have difficulty in driving at night.

* Over-correction and under-correction: Even after Lasik, some refractive error may remain uncorrected. Even if you are 6/6 following surgery, the power could regress over a period of time.

* Total vision loss: Loss of corneal flap during and after surgery, deep incision, resulting in perforation of the eye, scarring of cornea and infection during surgery is not ruled out.

Dr. Bhardwaj, who is also a member of the American Optometric Association, is involved in the vision screening programme — Special Olympics Opening Eyes(SOOE). The services provided by SOOE include eye examination and dispensing of free glasses and protection eyewear to special olympics athletes, that is those who need them. The goal of Special Olympics Opening Eyes is to help people with mental retardation see better.

SOOE contributes to the vision and eye health needs of the athletes. It also helps them to become more useful and productive members of their communities.

Sharmila opens eye donation centre in Gurgaon 
Abhay Jain

Gurgaon, August 21
The person who donates his eyes after death makes the supreme donation for the welfare of human community. His or her eyes provide light to two blind persons. This service cannot be arranged even by spending crores of rupees.

The above mentioned remarks were made by Sharmila Tagore, famous film actress and wife of Nawab of Pataudi and equally famous cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan, while inaugurating the first eye donation centre in the district at Om Indu Jain Charitable Hospital at Dhankot village yesterday.

Sharmila, who came with her husband, lamented that corneal blindness, which could be cured by replacing the tissue of the eye, was more prevalent in young adults and the children. She appealed to the public to work together to increase awareness about eye donation.

She objected to a feature film in which it was shown that the eyes of a person who was alive were taken out and implanted to a blind person. She clarified that the eyes of somebody alive were never taken. She made it clear that there was no disfigurement of the body after the eyes are taken out for implantation. Speaking to mediapersons, Mr Mansoor Ali Khan said that we had to develop a system in which all political, social and other leaders come together and make efforts to wipe out the social stigma of blindness from society.

The Venu Eye Institute and Research Centre, Delhi, will manage and maintain the eye donation centre.

The Director of the centre, Ms Tanuja Joshi, said the institute had decided to step forward to make eye donation available to people at their doorsteps. She claimed that many more eye donation centres would be opened at all satellite hospitals. 

SPORTS

FCI on a goal-rush against DVB
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 21
The Food Corporation of India (Headquarters) trounced Delhi Vidyut Board 10-0 in the Delhi State Hockey League for Institutions at the Shivaji Stadium. FCI led by four goals at half time. A A Yadav started the FCI goal rush in the 10th minute. He later accounted for the sixth goal in the 26th minute. But centre-forward Prabhakar was the star of the FCI victory when he struck home the second, fourth, eighth, ninth and tenth goals. Mohd. Ansari chipped in with the third goal in the 20th minute while Jaspreet slammed in the fifth goal and Amanjeet Singh scored the seventh goal.

Delhi Customs and Excise derailed Railway Board with a 4-0 victory. The goals came two in each half. Mahesh Dayal opened the account with a fine goal in the fifth minute and also authored the third goal in the 28th minute. In between, Harjinder Singh swept home the second goal when

he converted a penalty stroke in the 20th minute. Rohit Chauhan completed the tally in the 35th minute.

Food Corporation of India (North Zone) toyed with State Bank of India 5-0 in the third match. After a patchy first half, in which they could score only one goal, FCI opened up on resumption to add four more goals. Harish opened the account in the 18th minute. Navbir Singh scored the second and fourth goals in the 38th and 40th minute, respectively.

Amar Singh shot in the third goal in the 35th minute while Raj Kumar rounded off the tally in the 44th minute.

Oriental Bank earn full points
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 21
Oriental Bank of Commerce beat Employees State Insurance Corporation 4-3 and Urban Development Ministry beat Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) 2-0 in the Delhi Soccer Association Institutional Football League Championship at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital on Wednesday.

In the first match, Oriental Bank defeated ESIC in a Senior Division match. Dharmender Kharola scored OBC’s first goal in the sixth minute. Jaman Singh equalised for ESIC in the 20th minute. But just a few minutes before the half time break, Dharmender Kharola scored again to regain the lead for Oriental Bank.

Dharmender completed his hattrick when he scored three minutes after resumption of play. Outside left Sanjeev Sharma enhanced the lead to 4-1. But ESIC made a last-ditch attempt to come even with the Bankmen when Shekhar Khanna scored a brace of goals in the 46th and 71st minutes. Oriental Bank, however, managed to protect their slender lead till the end, to emerge victorious.

Urban Development Ministry scored once in each half to beat DTC. Robin Ekka struck the first goal in the 26th minute. Outside-left Man Mohan Singh completed the tally in the 59th minute.

The third match between Punjab National Bank and All-India Institute of Medical Sciences was postponed as the Ambedkar Stadium had to be vacated for the practice session of the Indian team.

Thursday’s fixture: FCI (Headquarters) vs FCI (North Zone); 2.30 p m—Ambedkar Stadium.

Ganga School win in women’s kabaddi
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 21
Ganga International School, Hiran Kudna, beat S P School, Nangloi, 62-59 in the Senior Regional Women’s Kabaddi Tournament, organised by Ganga

International School. Savita Naine, Bonny and Ankita played well for Ganga as they scored a close victory and entered the quarter-final. In a basketball match, Ganga International School beat St Mary’s Senior Secondary School, Paschim Vihar, 35-10.

Ganga International School beat Govt School, Paschim Vihar, 15-1,15-2 in the badminton tournament.

Hockey tourney: The Sports Authority of India (SAI) Inter-Zonal Hockey Tournament will be held at Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi. SAI zonal teams from

Central, North, South, East and West zones are taking part in the tournament, according to Manmeet Goindi, administrator of SAI.

Jatin Paul bowls Ravindera School to victory
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 21
A devastating bowling spell of 7 for 14 by Jatin Paul helped Ravindera Public School defeat St Michael Public School by 80 runs in a league match of the Ramjas Inter-School Under-17 Cricket Tournament at the Ramjas Sports Complex ground in the Capital. Jatin Paul was declared the man of the match.

Scores: Ravindera Public School: 175 for 7 in 35 overs (Harish Kumar 43 n o, Pankaj Sethi 32, Hemant Singh 25, Xavier Singh 2 for 22). St Michael Public School: 95 all out in 31.1 overs (Aditya Kumar 25, Jatin Paul 7 for 14).

Rohit Sharma stars for Ramjas
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, August 21
A fine knock of 71 runs by Rohit Sharma and deadly bowling of 4 for 26 by medium-pacer Karam Bir Bhati helped Ramjas School No 2 defeat St Angles Public School by 157 runs in a league match of the first Ramjas Inter-School Under-17 Cricket Tournament at the Ramjas Sports Complex ground. Rohit Sharma was declared the man of the match.

Scores: Ramjas School No 2: 247 for 5 in 30 overs (Rohit Sharma 71, Puneet Bisth 39, Ramit Gill 29, Pratap Singh 2 for 47). St Angles Public School: 90 all out in 23.2 overs

(Sushant Singh 21, Karambir Bhati 4 for 26, Ramit Gill 3 for 22).

CRPF School beat Ryan School

New Delhi, August 21
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) School beat Ryan Public School 3-0 in the All-India Nivia Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium in the Capital. Vinod Arya, Mridual and Sandeep were the marksmen. In another match, D C Arya School beat G S Panipat 3-0. A Chetran, Sunil Rawat and S Joshi were the scorers. The third match fell through as Navyug School failed to turn up for their tie against Bawana School.

Thursday's fixtures: St. Marks School vs DDA (9.30 am);Modern School vs Tagore International School (11 a m);Nivia vs B V Bhawana (12.30 p m). OSR