Centre to treat, research Stevens Johnson Syndrome launched

Sankara Nethralaya and The Sanmar Group on Monday inaugurated the SN-Sanmar Centre of Excellence for Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SeNSCE SJS).

Inaugurating the centre on Monday, The Sanmar Group deputy chairman Vijay Sankar said the development of the centre was a unique initiative that would have a global reach.

Sankara Nethralaya senior consultant Geetha Iyer said the volume of patients in India was huge. “It is estimated that the disease affects 30,000 children and adults worldwide every year,” she said.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a life-threatening reaction to common medication like antibiotics and anti-malarial drugs, is a rare disease that leads to corneal blindness during its later stages. Young individuals with the condition have a lifetime of varying grades of blindness ahead of them.

As pioneers in the field of ophthalmology, Sankara Nethralaya has been at the forefront in managing the ocular sequelae of SJS.

The centre plans to undertake State-level and national-level initiatives towards integrating care provided across the varied stages and specialities of the disease, with the help of the respective medical speciality societies.

The Dr. G. Sitalakshmi Memorial Clinic for Ocular Surface Disorders at Sankara Nethralaya, has two decades of experience in artificial corneal transplant using one’s own tooth for patients with SJS as well as in highly specialised procedures that prevent and treat corneal blindness. The clinic has also been focussing on research related to the condition.