Biochemistry

The department evolved from the Research Department established by Dr. Dorothy Campbell in 1944. At present the department has a staff of six. The work involves routine biochemical investigations such as the screening of pre-operative cases, and cases where the underlying cause of the eye condition may be a systemic disease: research into the biochemical changes in patients suffering from migraine: and some specialised tests such as the estimation of Vitamin A and thiocyanate levels in serum specimens, a service which is provided for hospitals in different parts of the country. In 1966 less than 1,000 tests were performed per annum, by 1982 the number of tests carried out had risen to more than 40,000.