Published Oct 07, 2026 | 11:38 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 07, 2026 | 11:39 AM
Synopsis: Family members of a Sircilla woman allege that doctors at LV Prasad Eye Institute performed surgery on her right eye despite plans to operate on the left. The hospital disputes negligence, saying the right eye had greater scarring and the patient consented. TGHRC has sought a detailed report.
The Telangana Human Rights Commission (TGHRC) has sought a detailed report from the District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) in Telangana’s Rajanna Sircilla after a woman alleged that doctors at the LV Prasad Eye Institute operated on her wrong eye.
Taking suo motu cognisance, the rights panel asked for details of the patient’s medical records, the surgery advised and performed, consent obtained, her present condition and the findings of any inquiry.
The Commission has posted the matter for a report on 6 November, 2026.
The woman said the surgery was planned for her left eye, but the doctors operated on her right eye. Her family has demanded a detailed inquiry.
The patient, identified as Kommu Venkamma, a resident of Sircilla, had reportedly approached the hospital after experiencing vision problems. According to her family, she was examined and advised to undergo surgery on her left eye.
The family said Venkamma initially could not undergo the procedure because of elevated blood sugar levels. After consulting another hospital and taking medication to bring her sugar levels under control, they returned to LV Prasad Eye Institute with her medical reports.
According to the family, doctors again informed them that surgery would be performed on the left eye. Venkamma was subsequently admitted and taken to the operation theatre.
However, when she was brought out after the procedure, the family members noticed that the surgery had been performed on the right eye.
“When we came, they said that they would operate on the left eye. They operated on the right eye,” a family member said, alleging that the family was not informed about any change in the surgical plan.
The family subsequently confronted the hospital staff and demanded an explanation. They also staged a protest on Monday, 5 October, demanding an investigation by senior authorities and action against those responsible.
Venkamma said she was surprised to learn that the right eye had been operated on.
“He told me that he was not able to do the surgery because of the high sugar level. We went to another hospital and used different tablets. After that, the sugar level was controlled. After about two days, we came to LV Prasad Hospital again,” she said.
According to Venkamma, she was subsequently told that surgery would be performed on her left eye.
“I asked the doctor what should be done. He told me that he would do the surgery on the left eye. I was surprised to see that he had done it on the right side. I could not believe it,” she said.
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The doctor involved in the procedure gave a different account of the events.
According to the centre’s doctor, Venkamma had pterygium, a growth of tissue on the surface of the eye, in both eyes. The doctor said the condition was graded at approximately grade 3 in both eyes, but the right eye had more scarring.
The doctor said a preoperative “timeout” was performed and that the patient’s eyes were examined under the microscope before surgery.
“So, when I had taken up the patient, I had done the timeout and then after that when I had taken the patient and seen under the microscope, I examined and found that in the right eye there was pterygium grade 3 and in the left eye also there was pterygium grade 3, with the right eye having more amount of scarring as compared to the left eye,” the doctor said.
The doctor claimed that the patient’s attendant was called to discuss the situation but was not immediately available.
The doctor said that, given the greater severity of the condition in the right eye, the patient was informed about the issue while on the operating table. According to the doctor, Venkamma was conscious and oriented and agreed to the procedure.
“So I had taken up the right eye and did the right pterygium surgery along with conjunctival autograft,” the doctor said.
The doctor also maintained that the patient was over 18 years of age, was conscious and capable of giving consent, and that the surgery was performed after she agreed to it.
Hospital administrator Manichandana also denied that the procedure amounted to medical negligence.
She said Venkamma had vision-related problems in both eyes and that the family had previously been informed that surgery would eventually be required for both eyes.
According to the hospital’s explanation, the surgery had initially been planned for the left eye. However, after the patient was shifted to the operation theatre and the doctor examined both eyes under the microscope, the right eye was found to have more significant scarring.
The hospital maintained that the decision to operate on the right eye was therefore based on the condition observed during the procedure.
The dispute, however, centres on whether the hospital adequately communicated the change in the planned surgical site to the patient and her attendants, and whether it obtained appropriate consent before the procedure.
Medical consent generally requires patients to be informed about the nature of a proposed procedure and material changes to the treatment plan. In this case, the family has disputed the hospital’s account and said they were repeatedly told that the left eye would be operated upon.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
