G Nageswara Rao
L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad
Gullapalli N Rao founded the L V Prasad Eye Institute in 1987, after a successful career in the United States as an academic ophthalmologist. An alumnus of AIIMS, New Delhi, he was trained first at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and later at the University of Rochester School of Medicine where he continued on the clinical faculty until his return to India in 1986. His areas of specialization include diseases of the cornea, eye banking and corneal transplantation, community eye health, eye care policy and planning. He is the recipient of several international and national awards in recognition of his services to eye care and public health. He also holds several board and leadership positions in prominent national and international organizations and was formerly the Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. He is currently the Chair of the Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis. He was elected a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in 2004.
Session 1A: Special Lecture
H Sharath Chandra, Centre for Human Genetics, Bengaluru
Research, relevance and public good
Blindness is a major public health concern, and India shares a disproportionate share of the burden. India is home to nearly 20 per cent of the world’s blind. Epidemiologic research has helped us develop an available, accessible and affordable healthcare delivery model. A comprehensive system of high-quality eye health model has been developed and implemented in three states of India. Translational research has also enhanced the quality of outcomes from cataract surgeries, while advances in stem cell transplantation of cornea have helped in treating some recalcitrant problems, offering the promise of sight restoration in cases of retinal degenerations. Increasing applications of technology have enhanced the scale, access, and quality of health care programs. Technological innovations that bring the benefits of the best of such technologies to the most marginalized will be presented.