Siloam Thomas Eye Hospital Project: 009

On March 28th 2021, we celebrated the 43rd anniversary of the Siloam Thomas Eye Hospital under the visionary leadership of Founder Dr Sarojini Thomas. She was greatly helped by Siloam’s late German Founder Rev Dr Karl Becker, who provided much needed financial help in the early days to establish this lighthouse of Christian mercy to the blind.

Since those early days, eye surgery has advanced to be much more technical bringing many successful surgical outcomes. Sadly, not all patients in India are able to afford first class medical eye care which is why so many undetected optical conditions result in many patients going blind!

On being inspired by Dr Ida Scudder, the former mentor of Dr Sarojini Thomas, at the CMC hospital in Vellore, Dr Sarojini elected to follow her mentor who believed in compassionate and loving service to underprivileged people and making eye care affordable for all.

Siloam UK has been privileged over the last 37 years to invest supporters’ funds in updating vitally needed hospital equipment to treat the poorest of the poor, so saving the eyesight of thousands of patients, many of whom could not afford to go to more expensive private hospitals.

The 28th of March 2021 also celebrated recent acquisition and launch of the first Optopol Revo fundus camera in India. This will empower eye surgeons at the Siloam Thomas Eye Hospital to quickly identify renal pathology due to diabetes, glaucoma, age related macular degeneration and other debilitating retinal vascular disorders.

In the past, Siloam was responsible for the funding of a used Zeiss GDX glaucoma screening camera in 2012 at a cost of £19,446.00. Prior to this, Siloam also helped with the funding of Phaco Emulsification cataract surgery intra-ocular lens implantation procedure which cost £8,000. This revolutionised cataract surgery at the Siloam Thomas Eye Hospital has made it possible for many poor people to be able to see again, thus making self-supporting work possible for them.

Even in the UK it is reckoned by the RNIB that 1 in 5 people will live with sight loss in their lifetime. At least half of these conditions are avoidable which is why early detection by using the most up-to-date high-tech equipment is so vitally important. In India particularly, there is a high prevalence of diabetes affecting an ageing population, indeed India is reckoned to be the diabetic capital of the world!!

Every week at the Siloam Thomas Eye Hospital modern medical ‘miracles’ take place on the eyes of the visually impaired. The waiting rooms are daily filled with people desperately seeking affordable eye care. Your gift to Siloam will help them be treated with dignity and with the best equipment using the most advanced surgical skills available.

At the present time, Siloam needs funds of £500 every month just to pay for the repayments on a loan which enabled the Siloam Thomas Eye Hospital to acquire the first Optopol Revo fundus camera that will save the eyesight of many more thousands of patients who would otherwise probably go blind. Your generous gift will maintain the Siloam Thomas Eye Hospital’s good Christian witness in Coimbatore, using affordable eye care as a vehicle for the gospel and an expression of God’s love for all.

Here are just some of the people who have been helped by the hospital over the years...

Malathy suffers with a congenital eye complaint caused by her parents being too closely related.

Mr Daniel suffers with conjunctivitis a very contagious condition which is also extremely painful.

Sometimes a childhood injury, like a blow from a cricket ball, can cause the start of glaucoma which manifests itself in later life.

To view our latest newsletter, please click on the button below.

LATEST NEWSLETTER