He’s been at the helm of all path-breaking advancements globally in eye care, setting new standards and breakthroughs worldwide. He repeatedly makes our Community and our Nation proud, with his numerous ‘Firsts’ – be it in terms of successful eye procedures or advancements in eye care or his own personal achievements which have the ophthalmic greats of the world raise a toast to him!

In the last year, great strides have been made in the treatment of some complicated eye diseases. Recognised nationally and internationally for his genius, the multi-award winning icon of our community, Dr. Cyres Mehta became the very first Indian to be honoured with the prestigious ‘Presbymania’ Award, earlier this year in May, in Poland. Last year, Dr. Cyres also introduced Nano Laser Technology for non-invasive and painless laser treatment of glaucoma, for the first time in India.

PT catches us with the Chief of the International Eye Centre (behind the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai), Dr. Cyres Mehta, who shares with our readers, some of the latest advances in eye-treatments, which will greatly benefit us all…

Dr. Cyres Mehta’s International Eye Centre

– At The Helm Of Spectacular Advances In Eye Treatments For 2020 –

We asked Dr. Cyres Mehta, Chief of the International Eye Centre (behind the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai), to share with our readers, some of the latest advances in these eye-treatments, which will greatly benefit us all!

PT: Tell us about the advances in Cataract Surgeries.

Dr. Cyres: Cataract surgery has come a long way – we no longer need to cut the eye open to remove cataracts. The laser system ‘Catalys’, simply fragments it in just 30 seconds! This makes the procedure much safer. We do not need to do invasive surgery and cut the eye anymore; the entry into the eye is made by laser beam, which makes the entire procedure both – bloodless and painless. Many complicated situations in cataracts surgeries have been rendered safer with this new technology.

PT: What’s the latest technology for ‘Lens Implants’? What is an EDOF Lens?

Dr. Cyres: In 2012, the latest advance was the ‘Trifocal Lens Implant’, which made the patient spectacle-free. But some patients complain of glare and some have issues with night vision, like haloes around lights. The latest and most advanced technology in 2020 is the EDOF or the ‘Extended Depth Of Focus’ lens. Two organisations – one from Switzerland and the other from Italy – are providing these lenses, where the glare and haloes at night are negligible, to the point of being non-existent! These patients are now extremely happy with the quality of their vision and can easily drive at night. Incidentally, we were the first in the country to implant these lenses, more than 6 months ago!

PT: Is it possible to remove the reading-number for eyes, after the age of 48?

Dr. Cyres: Yes! With the new EDOF Lens Implants, patients usually become completely spectacle free and independent of glasses. The old problems of glare at night with trifocal lenses are solved with this new design

PT: Can we have an alternative to putting many eyedrops many times a day in Glaucoma

Dr. Cyres: Yes! Now we do a small laser procedure, called SLT or ‘Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty’, which reduces the pressure of the eye by 4-8 points. This helps greatly in reducing the number of eye-drops that have to be put, sometimes even as low as just once a day! In fact, some patients can even avoid glaucoma surgery by doing an SLT.

PT: In your expert opinion, what is the newest and safest method of laser vision correction in lieu of wearing glasses?

Dr. Cyres: ‘SMILE’ is the latest technology to do away with spectacle numbers. In this procedure, there is no big cut made on the eye, unlike it is done in LASIK. Therefore, the strength of the cornea (the clear front window of the eye) is maintained. In LASIK, many patients end up with dry-eyes. But with SMILE, the incidence is nearly 10 times less. The procedure is semi-automated and completely reliable, safe and painless, and it takes less than a minute for an eye!

PT: What’s the modern treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy?

Dr. Cyres: Diabetes is a dangerous disease, especially so when it comes to the eyes. High blood sugar and diabetes cause cataract and can lead to glaucoma and cause bleeding from the retina, leading to blindness! In the ’80s, we were taught that we must laser the entire retina to prevent bleeding in the retina. The problem with this approach is that it greatly decreased side-vision. However, new studies have emerged showing that regular injection of specific drugs called ‘Anti-VEGF drugs’, can halt the progress of diabetes in the retina and still retain good vision.