Military doctors restore the eyesight of 374 patients during the Mega Surgical Eye Camp at Gorakhpur

By PIB Delhi

The first Mega Advanced Surgical Eye Camp in Eastern Uttar Pradesh at 12 Air Force Hospital, Gorakhpur, concluded on February 27, 2026, with the highly specialised ophthalmic team of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force doctors carrying out 374 life-changing surgeries during the four-day camp. The closing ceremony was attended by Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Air Command, Air Marshal B Manikantan. It also comprised high-level inspections by Director General Armed Forces Medical Services Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin and Director General Medical Services (Air) Air Marshal Sandeep Thareja.

The camp became a beacon of hope for the entire region, and it also drew patients from Nepal, apart from the interiors of Siddharthnagar, Azamgarh, Deoria, Maharajganj, and the rural heartlands of Gorakhpur. The impact of the mission was witnessed through the eyes of 69-year-old Shri Amarnath Gupta, a resident of Gorakhpur. For years, the joy of seeing his grandchildren’s faces had been stolen by failing sight. Overcome with emotion following his successful surgery, Shri Gupta stands among the hundreds who have been granted a new lease of light.

This team was led by Head of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral) Brigadier (Dr) Sanjay Kumar Mishra, supported by a surgical vanguard, including Lt Col Ravi Chauhan and Maj Amrita Joshi, whose tireless efforts ensured the camp’s historic success. The team utilised world-class medical equipment, airlifted to the region via the Indian Air Force aircraft, to carry out the surgeries.