The Dr. Rajendra Prasad Center for Ophthalmic Sciences at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is now equipped to offer the plaque brachytherapy facility to treat eye tumours. Plaque brachytherapy will not only help save lives but also the vision of patients.

Plaque brachytherapy is a form of local radiation delivered to the eye via a radioactive device that is stitched onto the eye. The move is expected to benefit children suffering from retinoblastoma, which is a form of eye cancer, and adults suffering from ocular melanoma.

A team under the leadership of the chief of RP Center for Ophthalmic Sciences, Prof. Atul Kumar, including Prof. Bhavna Chawla, Prof. Sushmita Pathy and Prof. Subramani have initiated this facility. Prof. Arun D. Singh, the director, Ophthalmic Oncology, Cleveland Eye Clinic, US, played a key role in supporting this initiative.

With this, AIIMS has become the first government hospital in the country to achieve this landmark.