Sankara Eye Hospital opens clinic for autistic kids

The vision and perceptual therapy clinic was established in collaboration with Surya, a voluntary initiative

Sankara Eye Hospital Bangalore inaugurated Milestone – an Early Intervention & Transformation Centre, for children with Autism Spectrum, in collaboration with Surya, a volunteer initiative established in 2004.

The centre was inaugurated by Dr Santhan Gopal, President All India Ophthalmological Society and film personality Nabha Natesh. The inauguration was followed by activities for the autistic kids and their parents including a medical clowning session by Harish Bhuvan. Also, the evening witnessed an interactive storytelling session by professional story teller Vikram Sridhar, where in children and parents were allowed to use theatre as a tool to explore movement and communication.

Dr Kaushik Murali, Paediatric Ophthalmologist and President Sankara Eye Foundation shared, “We are grateful to the support from Surya to establish, Milestone. The centre established at a cost of Rs 7.5 lakhs would allow us to provide holistic care for children with autism, using a combination of computer based therapy and exercises with specially made equipment based on recent research from across the world.”

“We at Sankara Eye Hospital, Bangalore have over 130 children with Autism Spectrum under our care. While impaired vision is not the only neurological problem these children exhibit, vision impairment is extremely important for learning and development. We have found 30 per cent of children with autism with a range of eye conditions that when treated positively impact the overall development of these children,” shared Dr Y Umesh, CMO, Sankara Eye Hospital, Bangalore.