The 23-year-old acid attack victim of Muzaffarnagar was on Friday discharged from the hospital with her vision partially restored. The victim whose left-eye was damaged severely with acid burn recovered after the surgery was performed on her by a team of doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in the Capital on April 2.
The acid attack had left her face and neck completely burnt. But while doctors claimed the victim was recuperating, her family members said the girl was still traumatised and that it would take quite a long time to recover completely. The girl was attacked along with her three sisters by bike-borne assailants while they were returning home from a coaching centre in Muzaffarnagar area last week. All the four sisters teach at a college.
“It has been the most difficult time for the family. We are happy that God saved her life and she has recovered but the gloom has taken over her. She is in depression and not talking properly to anyone. She has been discharged. Doctors have done their best in boosting her confidence but we will have to bring her back slowly,” said Shahid Khan, brother-in-law of the victim.
He said the other three girls were also better but the entire family continued to be in a state of shock. “We are satisfied with the treatment so far. She has been discharged but we will leave the city only after the doctors assure us that her eyesight will improve further. Her parents were devastated when they saw her condition but now they are by her side. The police have also asked for her help in their investigation. The assailants are yet to be traced,” Khan added.
Meanwhile, the doctors at the Ganga Ram Hospital said the girl has been showing remarkable recovery and expressed hope that they would be able to save her vision and prevent serious disability. “We decided to perform Amniotic membrane transplantation. After eight days of surgery, she has shown a remarkable recovery. This has resulted in the vision of counting fingers at more than 3 metres. This gives us a significant hope of saving vision and preventing serious disability. In the next few weeks there will be further improvement,” said Mahesh Mangal, Chairman of the Department of Plastic Surgery.
The doctors lauded the courage the victim had exhibited while struggling for life and said she had expressed a wish to continue with her normal life soon.