Abdul Kalam Moved by Orissa Topper’s Eye Disorder

President A.P.J Abdul Kalam, who is on a three-day visit to Orissa, was moved by a boy who secured the 10th rank in the state board examination despite suffering from an eye disorder and urged doctors to help him out.

While inaugurating the Bhubaneswar Eye Institute (BEI) located on the outskirts of state capital Monday, Kalam expressed concern about the boy's plight and hoped doctors of the institute would find a cure.

J. Sonal, a student of Fakir Mohan Junior College in the state's Balasore town, managed to secure 780 out of 800 marks in the arts stream and stood 10th among about 105,600 students from across the state.

Sonal's father, Asim Jena, works as a manager in Syndicate Bank, Kolkata.

Jena said that his son has pigment problems in both his eyes, which doctors say cannot be cured. Sonal suffers from irritation and his eyes start watering, if he studies continuously for more than 20 minutes.

"Sonal's father, while being happy to see the extraordinary performance of his son who has pigment problems in both his eyes, is a worried person," said President Kalam, citing press reports.

"He could not study science because of the eye disorder. I am sure the doctors of Bhubaneswar Eye Institute will take this challenge and find a cure for the pigment problem experienced by Sonal," said the president.

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He added: "The financial support required for the treatment can be arranged. This treatment may definitely be helpful to many other patients having similar problems across the country."

BEI is a specialised eye care centre set up by Hyderabad-based V. Prasad Eye Institute with financial support of Australian mining major, BHP Billiton.

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The institute will offer specialised medical, diagnostic and surgical care for cataract, glaucoma and squint treatment, an official of the institute said.

(Source: IANS)