A team of ophthalmologists from Chandigarh has evolveda way to concurrently treat two eye diseases - cataract and glaucoma -without post operative complications. And that's great news for acountry like India, where 80 percent of those above the age of 50 arelikely to have cataract and six percent are likely to have glaucoma.

Thedoctors from the Grewal Eye Institute (GEI) here conducted a pilotstudy of 'Ologen Implant in Phacoemulsification Combined withTrabeculectomy (Phaco-Trab)' and presented its results before over10,000 delegates at the World Ophthalmology Congress (WHO) in Hong Kongin June.

'Now onwards we will use Ologen implant in Phaco-Trabfor surgically treating both cataract and glaucoma simultaneously,'S.P.S. Grewal, CEO of GEI, told IANS.

'Till now we were using aconventional method to treat the diseases jointly in a single surgeryby using Mitomycin-C in Phaco-Trab that many times leads to postoperative complications.'

The new technique is a quick healingand more effective alternative and GEI is the first hospital to conducta pilot study on the use of Ologen implant in Phaco-Trab, Grewal added.

'Weare not going to patent this technique as it is for the betterment ofmankind. We will conduct seminars and conferences all over the worldamong the doctor fraternity and general public to make them aware aboutthis novel system,' he said.

There is no particular symptom for cataract and glaucoma and they can be detected only through regular check-ups.