Doctor arrested after performing procedure on wrong eye of toddler

The pediatric ophthalmologist, who mistakenly operated on the wrong eye, of an 18-month-old child at Bangladesh Eye Hospital was arrested early today.

Shahedara Begum, a consultant pediatric ophthalmologist and strabismus surgeon, was arrested from her residence on Elephant Road around 2:00am, said Ali Ahmed Masud, officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station.

"She was taken into custody around 2:00am after the child's father filed a case against her," the OC said.

The toddler was initially brought to the hospital for treatment of a condition in one eye on Tuesday, but the doctor mistakenly conducted the procedure on the healthy eye. The family alleged gross negligence, leading to immediate public and legal action.