Kupwara: Surgeons of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) carried out 220 sight-restoring surgeries during the 10th edition of first-of-its-kind Mega Eye Surgical Camp, held under Operation Drishti, at an underground operation theatre in Tangdhar in Kupwara, a shelling prone zone, in Jammu & Kashmir along the Line of Control on September 24 & 25, 2026. Most interventions were cataract surgeries, along with selective retinal procedures and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery.
Over the two days, the camp was visited by Chief of the Army Staff General Dhiraj Seth who interacted with patients and distributed medicines & gifts. DG AFMS Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja also visited the camp and appreciated the surgeons and the local team for their exceptional skills & efforts.
The camp was led by Head of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi Cantonment Brigadier Sanjay Kumar Mishra, whose team carried advanced phacoemulsification, vitreoretinal and glaucoma equipment across mountainous terrain. Patients from Khawarpora, Tangdar, Tadd, Bagbela, Yangdar and neighbouring hamlets came after screening and a broadcast on Radio Rooh-e-Karnah, with the Indian Army guiding each one from arrival to recovery.
AFMS’ series of mega surgical eye camps envisaged by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh have, so far, screened over 1.50 lakh patients. Over 3,500 surgeries have been conducted across 10 cities. The 11th camp in this series will be held in Srinagar from September 27 to 29, 2026. The formal closing ceremony will be graced by Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha on September 30, 2026.
