The prevalence of eye diseases among soldiers led to the establishment of ‘Madras Eye Infirmary’ at Roypetta in July 1819.
The prevalence of eye diseases among soldiers led to the establishment of ‘Madras Eye Infirmary’ at Roypetta in July 1819.
Red-brick buildings are much more than just brick and mortar. They are like a storehouse of stories.
On the partly busy Rukmani Lakshmipathy Salai in Egmore, Chennai, is an institution where the past and the present coexist: the 203-year-old Regional Institute of Ophthalmology and the Government Government Ophthalmological Hospital (RIO-GOH), the oldest ophthalmologist is expert. Institute in Southeast Asia. The institution was the second oldest eye hospital in the world after Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, which was established in 1809.
The prevalence of eye diseases among soldiers led to the establishment of ‘Madras Eye Infirmary’ at Roypetta in July 1819. The hospital moved to the present location in 1884, and was renamed the Government Eye Hospital in 1888.
While the old block is located on the eastern side, a new building of ‘Schofield’ came later on the western side. Initially, the hospital consisted of three main separate blocks, an outpatient dispensary, European and Indian kitchens and a residence inaugurated on March 31, 1887. As per the records in the hospital, all these blocks were connected after a year by six corridors.
In fact, the Lady Lawley Block, which was built and occupied in 1911, is still in use for patients and houses an operation theatre.
“The hospital has witnessed the evolution of ophthalmology from ancient methods to the most modern techniques of treatment. It has trained thousands of ophthalmologists over the years. “Crores of ophthalmologists across the country have taken care of themselves here,” said MVS Prakash, director of RIO-GOH.
Today, RIO-GOH receives 600-800 patients daily for outpatient services. The number of beds in the hospital is 478. It provides services in six sub-specialties of Ophthalmology – Cornea, Orbit and Oculoplasty, Squint (Pediatric Ophthalmology and Neuro Ophthalmology), Retina, Glaucoma and Uvea.
Dr. Prakash said that RIO-GOH receives patients from different parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry, adding that the hospital runs a round-the-clock trauma center for the treatment of eye injuries.
Patient flows have been steadily increasing following the slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. “In pre-COVID times, we had 60,000 to 70,000 admissions per year. During the pandemic, it came down to 35,000, and is increasing now,” he said.
The institute is also providing training to ophthalmologists. ‘The Elliot’s School of Ophthalmology’ was opened in 1920, named after Lieutenant Colonel RH Elliot, the superintendent of the hospital from 1904 to 1913. The institute has 30 Diploma seats and 30 MS Ophthalmology seats apart from 20 B.Sc. Optometry seats. Dr. Prakash said, “Under the National Program for Control of Blindness, we get doctors from many states to be trained here in various sub-specialties.”
One of the key features of RIO-GOH is the museum at the Elliott School, which houses a wealth of ophthalmic records, specimens, and equipment. The museum has handwritten case sheets, hand drawn drawings of patients with various eye disorders like keloid and dermoid, eyeball models and ophthalmic instruments. One of the devices demonstrated is the ophthalmic cryomachine used to freeze and destroy abnormal tissue using extreme cold in the treatment of a variety of benign and malignant tumors.
“Handwritten manuscripts and case sheets written by British ophthalmologists that are over 100 years old are well preserved by professional curators. At a time when photography was not available, artists were engaged in sketching patients with various eye diseases ,” said the director.
The renovation of the museum began in 2019 in line with the bicentenary celebrations and is in progress.
The country’s first eye bank at the hospital was established in 1948 by RES Muttiah, who had become superintendent a year earlier. The first corneal transplant was performed in the same year after returning from a study tour in the US
The institute is now eyeing expansion. A seven-storey block is being constructed as the present outpatient building was overcrowded and lacked adequate space. “The new facility is a sprawling one. Once it is ready, all the specialized departments located in the current outpatient building will be shifted… The block will also have additional operation theaters and wards. This is a road to expansion in the future. Will pave it,” said Dr Prakash.