Eye surgeon eyes a place in Guinness record book

After conducting 150 eye operations free of cost within 14-and-a-half-hours in 2006, Dr S P Singh, Director of the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, is eyeing the Guinness Book of World Records.

After conducting 150 eye operations free of cost within 14-and-a-half-hours in 2006, Dr S P Singh, Director of the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, is eyeing the Guinness Book of World Records. He now plans to conduct 200 free operations in 15 hours in November to register his name in the record book.

So far, all his bulk operations have been free of cost. In March 5, 2001, Singh had set a record in the Limca Book of Records by performing 81 operations — Intra Ocular Lense (IOL) — in 11 hours at one go. The Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, a state government affiliated eye hospital in Allahabad, is among the 15 institutes in the country and the only one in the state that trains eye surgeons in super specialty treatment.

“I have already written to the Guinness Book of World Records. They have appreciated my work. In November, I will invite them to watch me operate on 200 patients in 15 hours,” Singh said.

A recent government directive has given an eye surgeon a target to carry out 700 operations annually. This, according to Singh, inspired him to launch a drive against cataract. “I also drew inspiration from late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi who had pledged to donate his eyes,” he said. “If the Prime Minister of our country can donate his eyes, why can’t the eye surgeons perform free surgeries for the welfare of the poor?” he added.

In a span of 18 years, Singh has performed nearly 50,000 surgeries. In 2000, for the first time, he had operated upon 50 patients at a stretch. “Performing bulk operations the first time was a little difficult. I single-handedly performed the operations in a span of 11 hours,” he said.

After 2001, he had broken his own records by conducting 90 operations in 2002, 102 in January 2003, 120 in February 2003, 130 in 2005 and 150 in 2006.

He has also set a record of performing maximum number of eye operations in the state. The director general of health in Lucknow had awarded him with an appreciation letter for his valuable service to the society.