Ophthalmologists Accused of Botched Cataract Surgeries Causing Vision Loss

In a concerning incident, two ophthalmologists, Dr. D.V. Pandit and his son Dr. Chandan Pandit, are facing an FIR filed at the Vashi police station for alleged medical negligence during cataract surgeries. The FIR was registered on Monday against the father-son duo after 67-year-old Rajendra Gupta and four other patients reportedly lost their vision following cataract operations at the father's private eye hospital in Sector 10, Vashi.

The NMMC administration has now sought a report to conduct a departmental inquiry against Dr. Chandan Pandit, who is a permanent employee at the NMMC hospital in Airoli. According to the NMMC policy, Dr. Chandan Pandit is not permitted to practice at any private hospital while receiving a non-practice allowance. The FIR document has been obtained and submitted to the NMMC administration, which will now initiate the inquiry process.

This is not the first time Dr. Chandan Pandit has faced disciplinary action. In November 2016, when he was working at the NMMC hospital in Vashi, he was suspended as a disciplinary measure after receiving repeated complaints from patients and hospital staff about his indiscipline. However, he was later reinstated in December 2017 after a departmental inquiry.

The Thane civil surgeon's report has concluded that the two ophthalmologists were medically negligent in their treatment of the patients. The report found several irregularities, including performing the cataract surgery on Gupta despite his high random blood sugar levels and not following the mandatory guidelines for diabetes control before the operation. The doctors also allegedly did not use topical steroid eye drops despite the patient's chronic iridocyclitis condition.