Eyes vary from one person to another. This surgery can be tailor-made to address the specific needs of the patient which makes it far more accurate and effective although lens replacement still has no substitute in correcting spherical power, explained Dr P K Bakshi, consultant with BB Eye Care.

A group of surgeons, including Dr Biswas, has trained in LRI in Germany. While an ordinary lens replacement can cost upwards of Rs 10,000, LRI, depending on the kind of surgical instrument used, will cost only between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000. And recovery time is virtually nil. The patient can return home the same day and resume work in 24 hours. There are no bandages or stitches. It is painless and has an almost 100% success rate, added Dr Biswas.

Some eye surgeons, however, are sceptical. They point out that LRI experiments have not been very successful in India. It is a complicated method that hasn't always produced the desired result. Also, astigmatism need not be corrected at all. Hopefully, they are going to use more sophisticated instruments that will improve the success rate, said eye surgeon Samar Basak.