By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
New Delhi: Sharifa Bano is 14 but she hasn’t yet seen light. She could not see world because she has motiabind (cataract) in both eyes since birth. With hope of light, daughter of Mohammad Sadiq, a laborer in Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh, Bano has come with his parents to Project Prakash in Delhi. She is at Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital where Project Prakash will facilitate her cataract operation. Garga Chatterjee, a researcher with Project Prakash is hopeful about Bano’s vision, and he has reason and success stories to be hopeful.
Before Bano, hundreds of children with motiabind by birth have undergone operation under the supervision and study of Project Prakash’s researchers who have a lab at Dr. Shroff’s hospital. They especially take up those cases general practitioners have lost hope in. “Generally doctors say that cataract operation after the age of 7-8 years is futile as it cannot bring back vision. We take up such cases, and since 2005 we have taken up several hundred such cases. If not fully, they have got vision as much as they cannot remain in solitary in the cornor of room,” says Garga Chatterjee talking to TCN at Project Prakash’s lab at Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Daryaganj area of Delhi.
Sharifa Bano with his father Mohd Sadiq at Dr. Shroff’s hospital
What is Project Prakash?
It is an initiative of Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States and Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital. The project was conceived and is headed by Professor Pawan Sinha of MIT. It researches connection between vision and brain development. What happens with brain of a person who has no vision by birth? The researchers try to find out answer to the question. The project covers only those children who have no vision in their eyes by birth because of motia (cataract).
“Basically we are doing a scientific study to know how eye vision is connected with brain development. However, through this project, we are combining science and philanthropy. While we study we help people to get vision,” says Chatterjee who had done his Ph.D. from Harvard University and now a post-doctoral student at MIT.
The Project has set up its lab and office at Dr. Shroff’s hospital. Team from MIT visits the hospital 2-3 times a year.
Garga Chatterjee (extreme left) with his co-researchers Tapan Gandhi (centre) and Amy Kalia (extreme right) at the lab of Project Prakash.
What do they do?
The Project holds camps in different parts of the country in the month of March-April. At the camps, children with no vision or little vision due to cataract are collected, they are checked, and those who have no vision because of cataract since birth are picked for operation and study. They are brought to Delhi and admitted at Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital. The project has a set-up at the hospital where they have researchers and is also visited by team from MIT 2-3 times every year. Here the patients are first operated for cataract and then kept under vigil for some time to study connection between vision and brain.
Throughout the year, a group of children are at the hospital under the supervision of Project Prakash. The project bears all their costs – medical, lodging, food etc of both the child and their parents.
Result of the researches
The Project Prakash takes up those cases which have motia since birth for 8, 10 and 15 years. It is not that soon after operation they start seeing as people with full vision. “This is because the part of brain which is related to vision has not been properly functioning for these years, so it takes time to come to close to normal. In some cases the result is so good that the government stops giving benefits that as blind person they are entitled to,” says Garga Chatterjee.
Garga Chatterjee with Mohammadd Junaid
“The general medical perception is that if motia is for 7-8 years since birth then there is no use of operation. They cannot get vision. We want to change this perception. And we have successful cases to prove it. We have found that if operated, person with motia for 7-8 years can get vision sometimes fully, sometimes partly. What inspires us is the view that even partial vision can bring a big change in a complete dark life – a child living in solitary in the cornor of the house can move, can even walk on road, he may not identify which kind of car is coming, but can identify a vehicle is coming fast this side or that side,” informs Chaterjee.
Junaid – Great success story of Project Prakash
The Project Prakash was started about 7 years ago. Thousands of children have since been screened at its camps, and hundreds have been operated upon. Mohammad Junaid, now 17, is among the great success stories of the Project. When he came in contact with the Project researchers five years back, he could not see. Today he came alone in public bus from Rani Garden area in Delhi to tell this scribe his success story.
“When he came to us five years ago he had no vision, had big motia in his both eyes. He was operated upon here, passed through several tests, we kept him under our watch and we studied him. In five years after operation, he has so improved that the govt has struck off his name from the list of blind persons and he is not getting benefits. He moves independently around the city,” says Chatterjee.
Junaid himself confirms this. “Before operation, I could not see anything; I had to take help to walk. Now I travel alone in the city,” says Junaid, a native of Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh. Due to blindness and poverty, the family could not send him to school. He was illiterate till 12 years. After the successful operation, he wanted to read, but he thought he is already 12 – it’s time to work, not study. But when he went out to find job, they asked him about his education.
“After operation I could see. I wanted to read but as I had become 12 years old I thought I should work now to earn, it’s not time to go to school. But when I went to find job, they asked if I can read and write,” says Junaid.
He remained at home for some time. One day he met Dr. Pawan Prakash Sinha of MIT, who is running this Project Prakash, seeking job.
“I met Pawan Sir for job as none was giving me job. He asked me to study. He said he will give me scholarship,” says Junaid.
Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Daryaganj, New Delhi
Junaid is studying on a fellowship from the Project Prakash. “As he is 17 and parents are poor and due to blindness he could not study, so after operation when he got vision, we gave him fellowship (Rs 5000 per month) to help his family and put him on study,” says Chatterjee. He is getting coaching at home for English, Maths, Science and other subjects, and he is enrolled in class V in a school which he visits only for exam.
Who are affected with the disease?
When Chatterjee, who has been with the project for some years, was asked if he found any community pattern of the disease, he said: “We have found that most of these children are from very poor, underprivileged families and the areas. Though we do not have community specific data, but we have found a good number of such children among Dalits and Muslims. They are very poor people, they earn between 2500-3000 in a month – one big reason why they do not afford operation in early age.”
Future Plan
The Project Prakash is planning to build a dedicated institute for that purpose in North India. While the Project is funded by National Institute of Health (USA), the proposed new institute will have to raise funds from people all over the world. “We will approach people for support. This is a big problem in our country. The sad part is that motia (cataract) can be removed and it can bring back vision but still lakhs pass life with this,” says Chatterjee.
(Dr. Pawan Prakash Sinha, Director, Project Prakash can be contacted at [email protected])
Link: http://web.mit.edu/bcs/sinha/prakash.html