UP acid attack victim regains vision in left eye

Muzaffarnagar acid attack victim Isha, whose left eye was severely damaged, on Friday said she wants to go back to her teaching job again, on a day she was discharged from a hospital in New Delhi after a successful surgery which reclaimed her vision.

Twenty-three-year-old Isha was discharged from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Friday and feels that the society should change its attitude towards women.

Isha and her three sisters, all teachers, were attacked by two motorcycle-borne men who threw acid on them on April 2 while they were returning from Hindu Inter-College in Kandhal after completing their duty in the Uttar Pradesh board exams. She was flown to the hospital in New Delhi, which later offered to treat her free of cost, on the day of the attack itself as she had her left eye cornea seriously damaged.

"The society should change its attitude towards women. I pray to the God that what happened to me, should not happen to anyone. When I came to this hospital, I was very scared and tensed that I may not be able to see whole of my life. It was all so dark,” she said.

"Now I will join my teaching job soon. My students of class 6,7 and 8 whom I teach have been praying for my fast recovery and quick return. I want to meet them," she added. Her elder sister Jahan Araa said, "She will take some time to gain confidence."

Doctors said that performance of amniotic membrane transplantation helped bring a substantial part of her eyesight.

Dr A K Grover, chairman, department of opthalmology, said the amniotic membrane was obtained from of one of the prospective donors undergoing caesarean section. "After cleaning the membrane with balanced salt solution containing a mix of antibiotics, the membrane was implanted in  the victim's eye. I am pleased with the results and hope further improvement in the coming days," he said.

After eight days of surgery, doctors said, she has shown "remarkable recovery". Dr D S Rana, chairman of board of management of the hospital, said, "We are very pleased that the efforts put in by our doctors have not only brought her eyesight back but more importantly her smile and confidence to go back to the society."