Third Antonio Champalimaud Symposium

The Third annual Antonio Champalimaud Symposium was held at Patodia Auditorium, LVPEI, Kallam Anji Reddy campus, Hyderabad, on January 30, 2010. This year the Champalimaud Keynote Oration was delivered by renowned ophthalmic geneticist Dr Janey L Wiggs, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA, USA. She spoke on “Glaucoma Genetics: Past, Present and Future”. This was followed by a talk on “Angle Closure: Mechanisms and Issues in Screening” by Dr David S Friedman from The Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. Dr Borja Corcostegui, Director, Instituto de Microcirugia Ocular de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, spoke on “Update in Surgical Treatment of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy”, while Prof Brien A Holden of the Institute for Eye Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, spoke on “Myopia”.

Dr Taraprasad Das and Dr Merle Fernandes, Directors of LVPEI’s campuses in Bhubaneswar and Visakhapatnam presented research updates, while senior faculty from Hyderabad campus gave an outline of the work done under the aegis of the Champalimaud Translational Centre for Eye Research (C-TRACER) at LVPEI, Hyderabad, set up with support from the Champalimaud Foundation of Portugal.
 

Graduation Day

The Graduation Day of the first batch of Master of Community Eye Health (MCEH) and sixth batch of Bachelor of Science in Optometry was held on February 10, 2010, at LVPEI’s Kallam Anji Reddy campus, Hyderabad. Eleven candidates successfully completed the MCEH – a one-year postgraduate coursework program in Community Eye Health offered by LVPEI, in collaboration with the University of  New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia. Dr Srinivas Reddy from the Andhra Pradesh Right to Sight Society (APRTSS) topped the class. 

The graduates, mostly from the government health sector, included ophthalmic assistants, program managers, and an ophthalmologist. Several of them will return to their postings in rural Andhra Pradesh to apply what they have learned towards helping the communities they work with, thus taking forward the global prevention of blindness program.

The MCEH was launched in 2008 to create a cadre of leaders in community eye health for India and the developing world. The first of its kind in India, it is also the first Master’s level program in public health in Andhra Pradesh. Collaboratively designed and developed by faculty at LVPEI and UNSW, it represents one of the many initiatives aimed at filling the human resource gap in eye care program planning and service delivery.

Seventeen students of the sixth batch completed the 4-year comprehensive Bachelor of Science program in Optometry offered by the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, and received their degrees, the same day. Ms Khuseeya Sharif was selected for the Best Student Award.

The speakers included Prof Fiona Stapleton, Head of School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, UNSW; Prof Mala Rao, Director, Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad; and Dr P V Ramesh of APRTSS. Four students, 2 each from the MCEH and BS Optometry programs, shared their experiences.
 

Ramalingaswami fellowship for LVPEI scientist

In recognition of his outstanding research contributions, Dr Shrikant Bharadwaj, Scientist and Associate Optometrist, LVPEI has been awarded the prestigious Ramalingaswami Fellowship by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India for the year 2009-2010. Prof Ramalingaswami was L V Prasad Eye Institute’s founding trustee and a great supporter of the Institute. The Ramalingaswami Fellowship is given to five scientists of Indian origin who are working outside the country in biotechnology, life sciences, bio-engineering, translational health science and other related disciplines, and who are interested in taking up scientific research positions in India. Dr Bharadwaj has a PhD in Vision Science from the University of California – Berkeley School of Optometry, USA, and a post-doctoral fellowship from the Indiana University School of Optometry, USA. He returned to India last year to set up the Visual Optics and Psychophysics Laboratory at LVPEI for infant vision studies. He is the first eye researcher to receive the coveted award.

Institute Day celebrations at Bhubaneswar campus

LVPEI Bhubaneswar campus celebrated its Fourth Institute Day on January 16, 2010. Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, former President of India, and Chief Guest, arrived a day earlier. Dr Taraprasad Das, Director, LVPEI Bhubaneswar briefed him on the progress of the institute. Dr Kalam also interacted with the faculty and staff. Dr S Chandrasekhar Shetty, Vice Chancellor, Sri Devraj Urs University, Kolar, Karnataka, was the Guest of Honor and delivered the Institute Day lecture.

New surgery available at LVPEI

Internationally renowned experts from Europe and the United States came to LVPEI for a workshop on osteo-odonto keratoprosthesis (OOKP), a revolutionary surgery that restores vision in patients who cannot benefit from conventional corneal transplants. The OOKP surgery, dubbed “a tooth for an eye”, involves using the patient’s own dental tissue as a supporting framework for a telescopic lens. LVPEI already offers a similar treatment — the Boston Keratoprosthesis (Boston KPro) — which has restored vision to several patients with severe eye damage due to chemical or fire accidents. Now patients with even more extreme corneal damage have a chance of regaining vision, thanks to OOKP.

The workshop was led by Professor Giancarlo Falcinelli from Italy, along with Dr Anthony Aldave from the University of California, Los Angeles, with Prof James Aquavella joining in by videoconference from the University of Rochester Eye Institute, USA.
 

World Cornea Congress medal for Dr Gullapalli N Rao

Dr Gullapalli N Rao, Founder-Chairman, L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) has been chosen to receive the World Cornea Congress Medal for 2010. He is one of five individuals selected for their outstanding contributions to the specialty of cornea and external disease in the last several decades. The community of corneal specialists (both clinicians and basic scientists) meets every five years to review the accomplishments of the previous years and develop ideas for the coming year; it is the largest single gathering of individuals in this specialty. This recognition comes from the community of corneal specialists throughout the world for his scientific contributions and leadership provided over the years. Dr Rao will receive the award at World Cornea Congress VI (April 7-9, 2010) sponsored by The International Cornea Society, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
 

PhD for 2 alumni

Two alumni of LVPEI’s Bausch & Lomb School of Optometry have received their PhD from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Nisha Singh and Ankit Mathur belong to the School’s first batch of Bachelor of Science program in Optometry (2000). Recently Nagaraju (BS Optometry Batch 2001) became our first alumnus to receive a doctor's degree in Optometry (Boston).

2nd anniversary of Sudhakar & Sreekanth Ravi Eye Centre

The Sudhakar & Sreekanth Ravi Eye Centre (SSREC) at Markapuram (Andhra Pradesh) which is the 7th satellite centre of LVPEI, celebrated its 2nd anniversary on January 3, 2010. The centre was established with the support of the Ravi brothers in 2008, as part of the Prakasam District Eye Health Initiative. During the past two years, the centre performed over 2000 surgeries and examined 20,931 outpatients.

Mr Vijay Kumar (opticals) was awarded best employee of the year award. Guests at the anniversary celebrations included Dr A Suresh, MLA, Yeragondapalem; Mr G Srinivas Reddy, MPP, Tarlupadu mandal, Markapuram; Dr Satish and Dr Laxmi Reddy, local doctors, and Dr Srinivasulu, donor, Tripurantakam Vision Centre. Government officials and the local media also attended.

Ten Vision Centres, attached to the centre, offer primary and community eye care (CEC) to neighbouring villages. In two years the 10 Vision Centres have screened 22,768 patients, while 44,278 more have been screened in the field through CEC programs. In addition, 4226 children have been screened through school screening programs during the last two years.

Thus, in two years, 92,203 persons around Markapuram have received eye care through various programs for the past two years.

2 Gold medals for research

The Institute bagged 2 Gold medals at the International Symposium on Biomedical and Nanobiotechnology: Relevance to Human Health, held during the 3rd annual convention of the Association of Biotechnology and Pharmacy at Acharya Nagarjuna University, Guntur, from December 19-21, 2009. Research fellow Naresh Polisetti received the Young Scientist Gold medal for Best Oral Paper presentation by students and Dr Geeta K Vemuganti received the Senior Scientist Gold Medal for Best Oral Presentation by faculty. 

Fun Camp for children

The Vision Rehabilitation Centres of LVPEI, Hyderabad, organized the annual ‘Fun Camp 2009’ for children with vision impairment on November 26, 2009, at a popular entertainment park. The 275 participants included visually challenged children, their siblings and family members.  

At the beginning of the camp, those present paid .....