Army hospital sets ‘new benchmark’ in glaucoma care

Delhi’s Army Hospital successfully performed India’s first 3D flex aqueous angiography with iStent, combining advanced imaging and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. The breakthrough offers real-time visualisation of eye fluid pathways, enhancing precision, outcomes, and India’s position in global ophthalmic care

New Delhi: A leading Army hospital here has successfully conducted a “pioneering procedure” using a state-of-the-art 3D operating microscope, combining advanced imaging with minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, officials said on Wednesday.

This breakthrough offers “unprecedented real-time visualisation of aqueous outflow pathways”, enabling surgeons to deliver precise, targeted interventions, they said.

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The defence ministry termed it a “landmark achievement” for Indian medicine, and said the ophthalmology department of the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) at Delhi Cantonment has “successfully performed India’s first-ever 3D flex aqueous angiography with iStent, combining advanced imaging with minimally invasive glaucoma surgery”.

Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness, has long challenged clinicians with its silent progression.

“Conducted with the new stand-mounted Spectralis system and a state-of-the-art 3D operating microscope, this pioneering procedure places the Armed Forces Medical Services at the forefront of global ophthalmic care,” the ministry said in a statement.

This breakthrough offers “unprecedented real-time visualisation of aqueous outflow pathways, enabling surgeons to deliver precise, targeted interventions and significantly improve patient outcomes,” it said.

As the first-of-its-kind in the country, the integration of 3D flex aqueous angiography with iStent, the minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, “sets a new benchmark in glaucoma care”, ensuring enhanced intraoperative imaging and better long-term results, the statement said.

For the armed forces community, it represents not only a “medical milestone” but also a strategic leap in safeguarding vision and operational readiness, it said.