Shri A. Mahalingam, Academic Officer, Sankara Nethralaya Academy, receiving the memento from the Chennai Mayor

The Sankara Nethralaya Academy made an impressive showcase of itself and its contribution to the world of education and academia in general at the ‘Chennai Science Festival 2012’ organized jointly by the Science City, Government of Tamil Nadu and Anna University at the Arignar Anna Gem Science Park School, Chennai, from the 27th to 30th of January, 2012. The objective of the festival is to create awareness on the role of science in everyday life among the general public and the student community in particular and inculcate a scientific temper in them.

Sankara Nethralaya Academy faculty members and personnel stationed at its two stalls in the Science Festival explained the inception and achievements of the Academy, its expertise in the courses offered and their high scope to visiting students, parents and the teaching community. Shri A.Mahalingam, Academic Officer, SN Academy, welcomed and explained the objectives of the institution to distinguished visitors Shri Mayilvahanan Natarajan, Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr.MGR Medical University, Dr.Mannar Jawahar, Vice-Chancellor of the Anna University, Senior government officials and Scientists who visited the stall, he also received the participants memento from the Worshipful Mayor of Chennai Shri Saidai S. Duraiswamy on behalf of Sankara Nethralaya and the SN Academy. A proud highlight of the event was the winning of the Tamil essay contest in Science by S. Suganya, a student of the Sankara Nethralaya Academy.

Sankara Nethralaya and the Sankara Nethralaya Academy take this opportunity to express their wholehearted thanks Dr. R.Srilakshmi, Registrar, The Tamil Nadu Dr.MGR Medical University who encouraged and facilitated participation by the Sankara Nethralaya Academy in this highly prestigious Science Festival and helped in getting rich exposure to the institution and the courses offered.

Wishes / Greetings for 20 years Service Award for A Mahalingam, Sankara Nethralaya

A MAHALINGAM BSc, BS OA(BITS), EDHM(LIBA), PG DOM, M B A
Academic Officer
The Sankara Nethralaya Academy
(Unit of Medical Research Foundation)
No. 29/8, Jayalakshmi Estates,Haddows Road
Nungambakkam,Chennai - 600 006, Tamil Nadu, India.
Ph No: 044 - 4308 4111 / 4308 4222
Fax: +91-44-28254180,Mobile : 0 97104 85295
E Mail : mahali@snmail.org / sn.mahali@gmail.com
websites: www.thesnacademy.ac.in / www.thesnacademy.edu.in
Profile of Mahali : http://www.thesnacademy.ac.in/profile-of-mahalingam.html
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/sn.mahali
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Dear Mr. Mahalingam,Please accept our congratulations and good wishes on your being awarded with the “20 years Service Award” for having completed 20 years of exemplary services with the Sankara Nethralaya Medical Research Foundation. While we greatly admire your long and loyal service in this praise-worthy project, we wish you continued strength and blessings in reaching great heights in the near future!

With warm regards and best wishes
Dr Asokade Z. Gunasekera. Chairman – Lions Vision For Sight Hospital Trust(Ratnapura – Sri Lanka).

Dear Mr Mahali, May I congratulate and wish you a 200 year stint!!, Good luck
Dr S S Badrinath, Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya.

Dear Mr. Mahalingam,I am glad to learn about long service award in Sankara Nethralaya. May God give you good health and strength to serve many more years. I congratulate you on this loyal achievement in your life .
With warm regards
Prof Richard Regis ,
Senior Professor,
VIT Business School,
VIT University, Vellore 632014

Dear Master, Mahalingam - This is great news to hear. May God shower all his blessings on you for your health and service. My sincere wishes to you and your family, friends, colleagues and everyone who supported to you to achieve this goal.- C Rajan , Hospital Management Course Participant.

Dear Mr Mahalingam - I wish you continued pleasure in your service in Sankara Nethralaya.
With warm personal regards,
Yours sincerely,
PROF M S SWAMINATHAN, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha),
Chairman, M S Swaminathan Research Foundation,Chennai

Sairam, congratulations and best wishes for another 20 years and more. Sairam – Shankar A Iyer, Om Trust, USA

Dear Mr Mahali, congratulations keep it up good job done.
Prof Selva, Twintech International University,Malaysia,

Student of Sankara Nethralaya Academy honoured by Department of Higher Education

Ms S.Suganya a first year student of B.Sc Medical Laboratory Technology at the Sankara Nethralaya Academy has brought pride to the institution by winning the ‘Tamil Essay’ competition being conducted as part of the Chennai Science Festival 2012 by the Science City, Department of Higher Education, Government of Tamil Nadu. She will receive the award at the valedictory function to be held on the 30th of January 2012 at the Anna-Gem Park Science School, Chennai.

Mahalingam A
Academic Officer
Sankara Nethralaya Academy
sn.mahali@gmail.com

Feedback / Thanks Note from Srilanka

Dear Mr. Mahalingam.
Sankara Nethralaya Academy
Chennai

Greetings from Srilanka.

I consider it a great opportunity to have visited your Hospital Sankara Nethralaya. I was able to gather lot of knowledge and experience with regard to day to day activities of a Hospital and its management. I am very much indebted to you for the support and cooperation extended to me during my short stay at your hospital. You were there with me right throughout my stay helping me in all activities and providing me with all required facilities. The other members of the hospital staff too were very cooperative. Shall remain thanking you once again for your kind cooperation and assistance for me to get a thorough knowledge with regard to management and other activities of a hospital.

With kind regards
Lion Lasantha Perera, - Srilanka,Vice District Governor 306 C 2.


Dear Mr Mahalingam and Sankara Nethralaya Team

Thank you most sincerely for all the assistance given to our Staff during the training at Sankara Nethralaya. The training received at Sankara Nethralaya will no doubt be most useful and valuable to the Staff of our newly opened “Nethsetha” Lions Vision for Sight Hospital. We are extremely grateful to PDG Raghunathan for his generosity and help. Please convey our sincere gratitude and thanks to all those who assisted our Staff during their training period. Our Sincere thanks and regards to Madam Akila, Lion Hari Narayanan and entire team of Sankara Nethralaya,

Thanks and warm regards,

Dr Asoka de Z. Gunasekera

CHAIRMAN – LIONS VISION FOR SIGHT HOSPITAL TRUST (RATNAPURA – SRI LANKA)

Letter from CHAIRMAN – LIONSVISION FORSIGHT HOSPITAL TRUST (RATNAPURA – SRI LANKA)

Shri Mahalingam A
Academic Officer
Sankara Nethralaya & Academy
No 18 College Road
Chennai – 600 006

Dear Mr. Mahalingam,

Thank you for your kind message of good wishes on the occasion of the Pongal Festival. On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Lions Vision for Sight Hospital, I wish to convey our best wishes on the occasion of this Festival.

We greatly appreciate your kindness and help rendered to our Staff through the invaluable training programme which will be greatly beneficial to the lesser fortunate, through the enhanced knowledge gained at the greatest centre of Vision “Sankara Nethralaya”.

Please also convey our appreciation and blessings to Dr.Badrinath, the President and the Chairperson of “Sankara Nethralaya”.

The final batch of four together with the Manager of theHospital are hopeful of coming over on the 23rd of January –subject to your suitability. We await your advice in this regard.


With warm regards and blessings of Swami,


Dr Asoka de Z. Gunasekera

CHAIRMAN – LIONSVISION FORSIGHT HOSPITAL TRUST (RATNAPURA – SRI LANKA)

E-mail : asokag@iwsholdings.com

How the Doctor’s Prescription 'Rx' Sign Came to Be

The sign is formed by a line across the right foot of the letter "R." It represents the word "prescription." It has come to mean "take this medicine." The sign has its beginnings five thousand years ago in Egypt. At that time, people prayed to Horus, the god of the Sun. It was said that when Horus was a child, he was attacked by Seth, the demon of evil.

The evil Seth put out the eye of the young Horus. The mother of Horus called for help. Her cry was answered by Thoth, the god of learning and magic. Thoth, with his wisdom and special powers, healed the eye of Horus. And the child was able to see again.

The ancient Egyptians used a drawing of the eye of Horus as a magic sign to protect themselves from disease, suffering and evil. They cut this sign in the stones they used for buildings. And it was painted on the papyrus rolls used for writing about medicine and doctors. For thousands of years, the eye of Horus remained as a sign of the god's help to the suffering and sick.

Long after the fall of the ancient Egyptian civilization, doctors and alchemists in Europe continued the custom of showing a sign of the gods' help and protection. But over the years, the sign changed from the eye of Horus to the sign for Jupiter, the chief god of the Romans. Jupiter's sign looked much like the printed number "four."
That sign changed, also. Today, it is the easily-recognized capital "R" with a line across its foot. The sign no longer offers heavenly assistance to the sick. It now means "take this medicine."

Other Sources:

The symbol "Rx" is usually said to stand for the Latin word "recipe" meaning "to take." It is customarily part of the superscription (heading) of a prescription.
Another explanation for the origin of Rx is that it was derived from the astrological sign for Jupiter which was once placed on prescriptions to invoke that god's blessing on the drug to help the patient recover.

Why does the symbol "Rx" equal prescription? The "Rx" heading actually derives from the word "recipe," and in Latin means "to take." How we take these medicines, however, is at our medical doctor's discretion, and under his supervision. A prescription is a licensed medicine, and can only be obtained by a doctor's written permission.

Prescription Abbreviations:
Doctors use prescription abbreviations (based on Latin words) that tell your pharmacist which medication to give you and directions on how to use that medication.
If you learn to understand the medical shorthand used by your doctor, you can read your own prescription immediately after it is written. This will help make sure that you know what medication you are getting and it will give you a chance to ask questions about your doctor's instructions.

Understanding Your Prescription May Help Prevent a Medical Error
The more you understand about your prescription, the less likely it is that you will have a medical error. For example, your pharmacist may make a mistake reading your doctor's handwriting. If your doctor's writing is not clear and easily read, your prescription may take longer to fill or you may be given the wrong dose or the wrong directions.

As a smart medical consumer, it is a good idea to check your prescription and make sure that it is filled correctly at the pharmacy. If you think there is an error or a discrepancy, you can alert the pharmacist or call your doctor.
Some doctor's offices now use electronic prescribing. You may receive a printed prescription to take to the pharmacy, or your prescription may be faxed or e-mailed to the pharmacy. Ask to see a printout of these prescriptions before leaving your doctor's office.

How to Read a Doctor's Prescription:
1. Ask your doctor or nurse practitioner to explain what the medication will do.
2. Ask for the name of the medicine, the dose, how often you are to take it and for how long. Write this down so you will be able to compare this with what you get from the pharmacy
3. Understand that the "Rx" on the prescription in Latin means "receive thou" or "take". These were instructions from a doctor to the apothecary chemist on how to prepare the compounded medication and how many doses to make. Just less than 50 years ago, almost all medications were made by hand by the pharmacist or apothecary chemist. In many countries that is still true, as the pharmacist weighs, mixes and calculates what amount of ingredients to add to a mortar and then grind and mix together with a pestle. Latin continues to be used frequently and the "codes" are short for frequency a preparation should be taken, ie. QD = "quaque die", literally "every day", BID = "bis in die", literally "twice within day".

4. Check the codes.
Common instructions include: QD (every day) OD (once daily) BID (twice a day), TID (three times a day), QAM (every morning), QPM (every night),Q4H (every 4 hours),QOD (every other day), HS (at bedtime) and PRN (as needed), PO or "per os" (by mouth), AC (before meals), PC (after meals), Mg (milligrams), Mcg/ug (micrograms), or G or Gm (grams).

5. Mistakes can take place when a chemist reads the directions differently than what the doctor intended (Often when prescriptions are handwritten - Doctors are notorious for using illegible handwriting on prescriptions) :Know what you're being given. The doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner will then specify the generic or chemical name of the drug, the strength in units, milligrams, % strength of an ointment. There are scores of dosage forms: drops, creams, otic drops, opthalmic drops, suspension, elixirs, troches, sublingual tabs, buccal, intramuscular, subcutaneous, suppositories, and inhalers, patches that can be placed behind the ear or on the stomach. The number of times the prescription can be refilled and whether the doctor will allow a generic instead of a brand name to be used.

Article by

A MAHALINGAM BSc, BS OA(BITS), EDHM(LIBA), PG DOM, M B A
Academic Officer - The Sankara Nethralaya Academy,
29/8, Haddows Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai – 600 006
E Mail : sn.mahali@gmail.com

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR POST OPERATIVE PATIENTS AFTER EYE SURGERY

1. Eye shield: Please use eye shield for protection when you sleep. You may use dark glasses during daytime. Please wash the eye shield and glasses with soap and water each day and dry the same before use.
2. Washing the face: Cleaning of the operated eye will be as per the instructions given by the doctor/ nurse. The rest of the face can be mopped with a clean and wet cloth. Avoid splashing water into the operated eye.
3. Shaving: Shaving is permitted. But avoid splashing water after shaving. Instead, clean with a wet cloth.
4. Bathing: You can bathe below neck from the first postoperative day itself. But avoid head bath for a period of 3-4 weeks.
5. Use of facial cosmetics: Avoid cosmetics to the eye such as mascara, eye liners etc for at least 4 weeks.
6. Physical activity: Activities such as walking, talking, TV viewing can be resumed immediately after surgery. However, Jogging, swimming, gardening, contact sports, etc may have to be avoided until 4-6 weeks after surgery.
7. Driving: Avoid driving till your surgeon gives you permission.
8. Joining back duties: Usually you will be allowed to join your duties by 4-6 weeks after surgery depending upon the surgery. You may have to check with your doctor regards to the exact date of joining duty.
9. You may resume your sexual life a week or two after the surgery.
10. The following symptoms may be expected after most surgeries: Some amount of redness, watering, foreign body sensation, and glare are common. The severity varies with the type of surgery. These symptoms will reduce with time and usually disappear by 4-6 weeks.
11. If you have any worsening of the symptoms and specifically if there is increasing redness, pain or decreased vision please report as emergency to the Sankara Nethralaya premises at 18, college Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai-600 006.
Emergency Services Are Available Round The Clock

12. Procedure for cleaning the eye:

a. The operated eye needs to be cleaned at least twice a day.
b. The attendant performing this task should wash the hands with soap and water and dry them with a clean towel.
c. You may use the disposable tissue supplied at the hospital for this purpose. Alternately you may place cotton in a clean vessel cover it with a lid for 10 minutes, let it cool down, take the cotton out, squeeze the excess water and use the same to clean.
d. Cleaning the lower lid is done by asking the patient to look up and wiping all the secretions sticking to the lower lid margin.
e. Cleaning the upper lid is done by asking the patient to look down and doing similar procedure.
f. Similarly the outer and inner corners of the eye are cleaned.
g. Once the margins and corners are cleaned, the eye drops can be instilled and then the surrounding areas can also be cleaned.
13. Instillation of the eye drops:
a. The attendant should wash his/ her hands with soap and water.
b. The cap of the eyedropper bottle is opened carefully without contaminating the tip of the nozzle.
c. Pull the lower lid and place the drop between the eyeball and the lid by squeezing the bottle or cap as the case may be.
d. Wipe away excess medicine that may trickle out, after asking the patient to gently close the eye.
e. The eyes should be kept closed for a period of 5 minutes after the drop is instilled.
14. Procedure for application of eye ointment:

a. Washing hands as for instilling drops.
b. Lower lid is pulled down.
c. The tube containing the ointment is squeezed gently so that a small thread of the ointment falls in the space between the eyeball and the lid. This should be not more than half a centimeter.
d. By letting the eyelid close, the ointment thread will break.

15. General instructions for instilling medicines in the eye:

a. Always instill drops before ointment.
b. Leave a gap of 5 minutes between two medications.
c. Keep the eye closed for 5 minutes after applying the medication.
d. Once opened the eye drops are discarded after 10 days.
e. Replace the cap of the bottle immediately after use.
f. Make sure that the right drops are being used for the right number of times.
g. If similar medication is advised for both eyes, it is advisable to have separate bottles for the two eyes.
h. Unused eye medication, once opened is discarded and never used for other persons.
16. General instructions:

a. Do not rub the eyes.
b. Do not lift heavy weights.
c. Do not allow the eye to get injured- the eye shield is meant to protect the eye from physical trauma.
d. Avoid too many visitors for fear of contacting infection- especially avoids visitors with conjunctivitis, cold etc.
e. Do not play with children, since there is possibility of getting hurt in the eye.
f. Do not strain at toilet. If needed please take laxative.
g. Avoid use of snuff.
h. Cigarette smoking should be avoided.
i. Alcoholic beverages are best avoided.
j. Avoid using handkerchief to mop the eye. Use sterile tissue only.