MOST MODERN GLAUCOMA SURGICAL TREATMENT STARTED AT EASTERN RAILWAY DIVISIONAL RAILWAY HOSPITAL, HOWRAH

MOST MODERN GLAUCOMA SURGICAL TREATMENT STARTED AT EASTERN RAILWAY DIVISIONAL RAILWAY HOSPITAL, HOWRAH

Second Railway Hospital in India after Southern Railway to perform i-Stent Implantation for Glaucoma

Eastern Railway?s Divisional Railway Hospital, Howrah, has achieved a significant milestone by successfully introducing the most modern surgical treatment for Glaucoma ? the Trabecular Micro Bypass System (i-Stent) implantation. This advanced ophthalmic procedure was conducted for the first time in Eastern Railway on 31st July 2025 by Dr. Debjani Mukhopadhyay, ACMS/HWH, placing the hospital as the second among Indian Railways, after Southern Railway, to offer this cutting-edge treatment.

Glaucoma is a silent threat to vision, often diagnosed at an advanced stage when a considerable amount of the visual field has already been lost permanently. Invasive Glaucoma surgery is typically required only in advanced cases to preserve the remaining vision, in addition to the lifelong use of medications. Patients suffering from mild to moderate Glaucoma, if diagnosed early, have so far been treated with multiple medications and, in some cases, laser therapy.

Prevention of the progression of visual field in mild to moderate cases, which is almost inevitable due to the progression of the disease with age, can now be treated surgically due to availability of most modern Trabecular micro bypass system implantation. This surgical technique has started for the first time in Eastern Railways at Howrah Division. This will allow the patients to preserve visual field and be free of medications for Glaucoma and thus avoid its side effects in long term also. This will improve the quality of life patients suffering from Glaucoma to a large extent.

The implementation of this procedure at Divisional Railway Hospital, Howrah, marks a new era in the management of Glaucoma for railway beneficiaries and sets a benchmark in advanced ophthalmic care within Eastern Railway.