After becoming the first blind doctor to pass out of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Anka Toppo is set to practise medicine after registering with the Delhi Medical Council.

Toppo, who registered with the DMC on March 15, says he is weighing various options.

He is right now gathering information about what spheres doctors suffering from visual impairment have chosen.

A senior who moved to Boston gave "me a special software to revise for my final exams", he says.

"And there must be aids and appliances to help doctors suffering from my condition to practise," Toppo, who developed an eye problem during his final year of MBBS and completely lost eyesight, says.

For Toppo, who belongs to Jharkhand, the permission to practice medicine comes after a long struggle.

Admitted to AIIMS in 1989, he was to take his final examinations in 1993 when he lost his eyesight.

Denied permission to take the exam for want of approved guidelines by the Medical Council of India, Toppo approached the National Human Rights Commission in May 2001, which issued notice to AIIMS. Eventually, the authorities agreed to amend the exam procedure for him.

"It has been a long struggle for me, but I never gave up. I was in the final year and preparing for the exams when I lost my eyesight. There was no point in leaving it after having gone that far," Toppo says.

"I am hopeful of doing well in the career as I am not the first blind doctor and can learn from the experiences of other doctors who like me cannot see."