111-year-old gets a new vision, can’t wait more for polling day

Kolkata: The first thing that 111-year-old Mohammad Hanif thought of after he was told by doctors that his cataract operation was successful was that he can vote in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Hanif, who underwent the operation at a private hospital in the city, is perhaps the oldest patient in medical history to have undergone the surgery. “I am happy and I am feeling fine now. Now I can vote because I will be able to see clearly,” said an elated Hanif.

Hanif was admitted to the Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) on Saturday after he was advised by his doctor to undergo a cataract operation in his left eye. According to the hospital authorities, Hanif is a resident of Beckbagan Row.

“Hanif’s was a complicated case of what we call the black cataract. He was admitted to the hospital in the morning and underwent a 20-minute-long cataract surgery in his left eye.

When Hanif came to the hospital he had lost vision in his left eye, but now he will be able to see again. He is the oldest patient I have operated on ever and the case was complex because of the age of the patient,” said Bhaskar Roy Choudhury, the head of the eye department of the CMRI, who operated on Hanif. Roy Choudhury said the surgery — Thacoemulsification — became complex because the tissues surrounding the patient’s eye had become weak due to old age.

Hanif, who was operated upon free of charge, was brought by his brother to CMRI. He left the hospital at 4.15 pm with a smile on his face after being told he would be able able to see again.