The month of July serves as a reminder of Dr. V’s selfless service to society, with his death anniversary on 7^th July observed as Mission Day across all Aravind centres. During the month, the inauguration of the Eyedeas Lab, which aims to advance innovations in eye care, added meaning to the observance. Additionally, the opening of a vision centre at Lakshmi Hospital (TVS Group), Madurai, marked the 118th vision centre of the Aravind Eye Care System.

Beyond Aravind members remembering Dr. V’s selfless service, an external member, and camp sponsor, M.A. Latheef, donated a house to a beneficiary, naming it Dr. G.V. Bhavanam in honour of Dr. V’s outstanding service, reflecting the deep impact of his contributions to society.

The month was further enriched as Aravind doctors and staff received several awards for their presentations of papers, posters, and innovations at various events held around the world, adding further significance to this month.

This edition features news and updates from 15^th June 2025 to 15^th July 2025.

Chennai, 13^th July 2025

Dr. V. Narendran, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Aravind-Coimbatore, was felicitated by Thiru R.N. Ravi, Governor of Tamil Nadu, at the Governor’s Think to Dare Series – 19 held at Raj Bhavan, Chennai. The honour was in recognition of the invaluable services rendered by the medical fraternity.

Telangana, 11-13 July 2025

Dr. Kothapally Saiteja, DNB Resident, Aravind–Coimbatore, won the Best Paper Award at the 10th State Annual Conference – Ekashila TOSCON 2025, organised by the Warangal Ophthalmological Association (WOA), held at Satya Sai Convention Centre, Telangana, from 11-13 July 2025.
Title: Cloaked in Inflammation: Unveiling T-Cell Intraocular Lymphoma”- case series

Ahmedabad, 11–13 July 2025

Managers from various departments of Aravind Eye Hospitals won awards at the 19th National Conference on Community Ophthalmology – VISION 2020: The Right to Sight-INDIA, hosted by Vision 2020 at the Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad.

Seran I, Manager, Patient Care, Aravind-Salem
Best Paper 
Title: Seva-supported project to address uncorrected refractive error in weavers and silversmiths of Salem District, TN
Third Prize – Poster Presentation
Title: Two incremental changes which resulted in zero patient identification errors at AEH Salem

Rajesh S, Manager, Community Outreach & Eye Bank, Aravind-Chennai
Best Paper
Title: Comparative efficacy of vision centres and comprehensive eye camps in detecting speciality cases

Vikky Kumar M, Manager, Administration, Aravind-Tirunelveli
Poster Presentation – First Prize
Title: Biometry challenges: Understanding measurement variability pre and post-investigation

Trivandrum, 4-6 July 2025

Dr. Athul S. Puthalath, Medical Consultant, Retina Services, Aravind–Madurai, won the Best Paper Award in the Free Your Mind session at the 7th Retina Imaging Congress 2025, conducted by Chaithanya Eye Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Title: Time-apse Tomography (TLT): AI-augmented interpolation of serial OCTs for dynamic visualisation of retinal disease progression

Chennai, 5-6 July 2025

Dr. Abhishek G. Nair, DNB Resident, Aravind-Coimbatore, won for his clinical image in the posterior segment category.
Title: The fiery eye

Dr. V.P. Aravind Krishna, MS Resident, Aravind-Madurai, secured the Runner-Up Prize in the Best Teaching Video – Film Category at the IIRSI Film Festival 2025, held during the Annual Indian Intraocular Implant & Refractive Surgery Convention at Chennai, organised by the Intraocular Implant & Refractive Society of India (IIRSI).
Title: Eye Mount 360 – Revolutionising surgical training

Aravind–Salem

Dr. Megha G, Medical Officer, Glaucoma Services, Aravind–Salem, has been listed among the Top 10 in the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) Ophthalmic Short Video Competition. She received a Certificate of Merit on the occasion of World Sight Day 2024.

Title: Is Screen Time Always Bad?

8^th June 2025

Postgraduate doctors from Aravind-Coimbatore won the runner-up prize in the Pan-India Inter-Collegiate PG Quiz Finals during the All India Brain Teasers Big Q Competition held online.

The winning team comprised Dr. Abhishek G. Nair and Dr. Krutin Jugal Shah. They were mentored by Dr. Siddharth Narendran and Dr. Vijayevarshcini D., Medical Officers at Aravind-Coimbatore.

Hyderabad, 27-28 June 2025

Doctors from Aravind–Madurai won awards for their innovations at the LV Prasad LVPEI Innovation Day – Start-up Challenge 2025, jointly organised by the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) ARC and LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad.

Second Prize – AIOS–LVPEI Eye Invent Hackathon 2025

Dr. Priyanka, MS Resident, Aravind–Madurai, and Dr. Niswath Balakrishnan, MS Resident, Aravind-Madurai
Title: “Glaucometer”: A home IOP monitoring device with smartphone connectivity

Industry Special Recognition Award

Dr. Aravind Krishna V.P., MS Resident, Aravind-Madurai, Dr. Smrithi Sony Thampi, MS Resident, Aravind-Madurai, and Dr. Athul S. Puthalath, Medical Consultant, Retina Services, Aravind-Madurai
Title: “Eyemount 360”: A dynamic eye mount designed to enhance wet lab training

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 25–28 June 2025

Dr. Swati Upadhyaya, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind–Pondicherry, won Second Prize in the Film Festival – Diagnostics Educational Category at the 11th World Glaucoma Congress held in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

Title: Bleed Blue – See it to Believe it!

Dr. Mohideen Abdul Kader, Glaucoma Services Aravind – Tirunelveli, had his photo titled, “The great escape of the optic nerve head “Reversal of Cupping”: Post GATT” listed among the TOP 10 in the Photo/Images exhibit.

Sivagangai, 15^th July 2025

The Rotary Aravind International Eye Bank (RAIEB), Madurai organised an eye donation awareness programme at the Primary Health Centre, Nerkuppai, Sivagangai. D. Saravanan, Manager, RAIEB, Aravind-Madurai, conducted a session covering eye donation, the Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme, and the role of healthcare professionals in promoting eye donation. The programme was attended by 30 participants, including doctors, nurses, and village health nurses.

Aravind-Tirupati, 12^th July 2025

As part of the My Life My Pride initiative, Aravind-Tirupati conducted a Certificate Awarding Ceremony for AOPs who completed six months of Taekwondo training and earned three belts. These AOPs underwent their grading exam for Yellow-1 and Green belts on 8^th  June 2025.

Additionally, dance and tailoring students who completed a six-month course also received their certificates during the event. To mark the occasion, the Taekwondo and dance students presented an entertaining programme, showcasing aerobic dance and a variety of Taekwondo techniques including kicking, sparring, and tile-breaking demonstrations.

Dr. Sandra, Medical Consultant, Paediatric Ophthalmology Services, Aravind-Coimbatore, distributed the yellow belts and certificates, while Ms. Anupama, who has been conducting life skills classes, distributed the dance and tailoring certificates.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 10^th July 2025

M.A. Latheef, President, Kaniyapuram Pallinada Residents Association (KPRA), Kerala, one of Aravind’s camp sponsors since 2018, has sponsored 12 camps each year, focusing on the coastal areas of Kaniyapuram. He also serves society by constructing and donating one house each year to a person in need. This year, the house he has built in Kaniyapuram was named as Dr. G.V. Bhavanam in recognition of the selfless and outstanding service rendered by Dr. G. Venkatasamy to society. The formal key handover ceremony was held in July to commemorate the death anniversary of Dr. V.  in the presence of Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, Advisor, Aravind-Tirunelveli, and Dr. Sunil, Superintendent, RIO Trivandrum and an alumnus of Aravind-Tirunelveli.

Aravind–Chennai, 3-4 July 2025

Aravind–Chennai, in collaboration with the ALCON Phaco Development team, conducted a two-day Advanced Cataract Course for ophthalmologists at the ARCORE Training Centre, aimed at enhancing cataract surgical skills. Dr. Ashok Ranganathan, Centre for Eye and Health Care Pvt. Ltd., Chennai, and Dr. Shivakumar, Sri Sarada Eye Hospital, Chennai, were the guest speakers. The programme featured lectures, live surgery observation, participants’ surgical video discussions, and hands-on experience in the wet lab. A total of 32 participants from across India attended the programme.

Aravind-Thanjavur, 27^th June 2025

In line with its commitment to providing high-quality eye care to the people of Thanjavur and surrounding areas, the newly inaugurated Aravind-Thanjavur commenced its surgical services on 27^th June 2025, two months after the hospital’s opening. On the first day of service, four surgeries were performed. The hospital is now equipped to perform cataract, retina, glaucoma, and cornea surgeries. However, LASIK and orbit surgeries have not yet been started.

Aravind-Madurai, 25^th June 2025

The 118^th vision centre of the Aravind Eye Care System was inaugurated at Lakshmi Hospital (TVS Group), Madurai. The centre was formally opened by Dr. R. Kim, Chief Medical Officer, Aravind-Madurai, R. Subramanian, Trustee, Arogya Welfare Trust, and S. Venkata Narayanan, Trustee, Arogya Welfare Trust. The event was graced by Dr. Vishruth, CMO, Lakshmi Hospital, and Dr. Vijayaprabha, along with senior members from both institutions. In the first week since its inauguration, the centre examined 97 patients. Among them, 3 patients were advised cataract surgery, 23 were prescribed glasses with 11 placing orders, and 13 were referred to the base hospital for further evaluation.

The inaugural event was facilitated through the efforts of Chandan, Administrative Officer, and Kanjana from Lakshmi Hospital, A. Mohammed Gowth, Senior Faculty, LAICO, G. Jhansi Sunitha, VC Manager, Aravind-Madurai, and Aathibarasakthi, AOP Sister, Aravind-Madurai. Eye Health Workers Nagalingam and Raman also supported by coordinating the preparatory activities.

Chennai, 25-27 June 2025

The three-day residential Design Thinking workshop was held at the 8012 FinTech Design Center, School of Design Thinking, Intellect, Siruseri, Chennai, aiming to strengthen participants’ skills in product design, process thinking, and user-centred innovation. Arun Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of Intellect Design Arena Ltd., addressed the participants at the inaugural session.

Through immersive sessions, collaborative exercises, and real-world case studies, the workshop provided practical tools and frameworks to help participants tackle design challenges more effectively in their work environments. The residential format enabled deep learning and active engagement, with participants staying onsite throughout the programme.

The workshop was attended by 34 Aravind staff from Madurai, Chennai, and Pondicherry, representing a diverse mix of IT staff, doctors, faculty, and managers.

Aravind-Pondicherry, 22^nd June 2025

Held at Aravind-Pondicherry, the CME covered all aspects of myopia, including strategies to prevent its progression and a step-by-step guide to setting up a myopia clinic. The programme also focused on amblyopia management and explored clinical assessment and treatment approaches for accommodation anomalies. Sessions included talks on the role of screen time in myopia, headaches in children, and comprehensive optical management, followed by paediatric cataract surgery discussions and case presentations. The CME concluded with an interactive Kahoot quiz with exciting prizes for winners and a workshop on orthoptic evaluation and exercises.

Aravind-Salem, 22^nd June 2025

Organised by Aravind-Salem, the CME on phacoemulsification commenced with a warm welcome address by Dr. R. Sankarananthan, Medical Consultant, Cataract & Uvea Services, Aravind-Salem.  Speakers and moderators, including Dr. Madhusekar, Chief, Cataract Service, Aravind-Madurai, Dr. Anuja, Medical Consultant, Cornea Services, Aravind-Salem, Dr. Sankarananthan, Dr. Vedhanayaki, Medical Consultant, Uvea Services, Aravind – Madurai, Dr. Arjun Shenoy, Dr. A.J. Dhanashri, Medical Consultatn, Retina-Vitreous Services, Aravind-Salem; Dr. Harini Krishna, Medical Officer, Aravind – Tirunelveli, Dr. Saranya A, Dr. Sathish, Medical Consultant, Aravind-Salem, Dr. Shivakumar, Chief, Cataract Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli, Dr. Jeyaprakash, Dr. Sujai, Dr. Jebinth, Dr. Navaneeth Kumar, Medical Consultant, Cataract Services, Aravind-Coimbatore, presented on a range of topics covering modern cataract surgery techniques, complication management, and surgical advancements. A key highlight of the CME was an interactive debate on “Phaco vs. SICS in Complex Cases,” which generated active discussion and engagement among attendees, providing valuable insights into surgical decision-making in challenging cataract scenarios. The event was attended by 55 delegates.

Aravind–Madurai, 28^th June 2025

The Aravind Centre for Eye Care Innovation (ACEi) inaugurated the Eyedeas Lab, a dedicated space for nurturing creativity, building prototypes, and advancing innovations in eye care, at the LAICO building. The lab was inaugurated by R.D. Sriram, Managing Director, Aurolab, in the presence of Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Chairman, AECS, Thulasiraj Ravilla, Director Emeritus, LAICO, Dr. R. Kim, CMO, Aravind–Madurai & Director – IT Services, AECS, Dr. R. Venkatesh, CMO, Aravind–Pondicherry, Dr. Venkatesh Prajna, Finance Director, AECS, Dr. P. Balakrishnan, Managing Director Emeritus, along with senior leadership and staff members.

The inaugural event included a ceremonial lamp lighting by the key dignitaries. This was followed by a symbolic launch of the lab’s facilities, Dr. R. Kim switched on the prototype display lighting, Dr. R.D. Ravindran and Thulasiraj Ravilla activated the 3D printers and other core equipment, and Dr. Usha Kim, Regional HR Director – Aravind Madurai & Dindigul, Dr. N. Balakrishnan – Electrical Engineer, Aravind – Madurai, and Dr. P. Balakrishnan powered up the lab’s electrical workbenches.

Dr. R. Venkatesh, who also leads ACEi, cut the cake to mark the launch of the Eyedeas Lab and highlighted the vision behind the Eyedeas Lab and ACEI, and videos showcasing prototypes developed under the ACEi initiative were screened. The event concluded with reflections and encouraging words from the guests, followed by a formal vote of thanks delivered by B. Udayakumar, Senior Faculty, LAICO, & Coordinator, ACEi.

Ahmedabad, 11–13 July 2025

Doctors, faculty members, and Managers from various departments at Aravind Eye Hospitals participated at the 19^th National Conference on Community Ophthalmology – VISION 2020: The Right to Sight – INDIA, hosted by Vision 2020 at the Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad.

Dhivya Ramasamy, Executive Director, LAICO
– Role of paramedic training in addressing eCSC and eREC (Invited Speaker)
– Aravind experience in making spectacle dispensing cost-effective (Invited Speaker)

Mohammed Gowth, Senior Faculty, LAICO
– Cloud based eye care databases for research and public health (Invited Speaker)
– Role of VCs in improving eREC and eCSC (Invited Speaker)
– Sustainability in Eye Care: How vision centres reduce carbon footprint in eye care (Invited Speaker)

Dr. Sahithya, Associate Professor, Paediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus, Vision Rehabilitation, Aravind-Madurai
– Outreach for children with special needs (Invited Talk)

Seran I, Manager, Patient Care, Aravind Eye Hospital, Salem
– Eicher’s truck drivers screening project using mobile refraction van at Salem (Invited Talk)

Santhosha Ganesh, Operations Manager, Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai
– Patient-led motivation model as a catalyst for family screening: An investigation of prevalence and awareness of glaucoma among first-degree relatives (Paper)

Alstin Francis Evanisevick P., Assistant Manager, Administration, Aravind-Tirunelveli
– A comparative analysis of refractive errors in rural and urban school children (Poster)

Hariesh Kumar, Manager, Outreach, Aravind-Tirunelveli
– To study the effectiveness of post operative review camps to ensure compliance and quality of visual outcome in cataract operated patients (Paper Presentation)

Meghala, Vision Centre Technician, Aravind Vision Centre, Kalaiyarkovil (Invited Speaker)
– Role of AI enabled Fundus imaging in identifying posterior eye conditions in vision centre (Free Paper)

Vikky Kumar M, Manager, Administration, Aravind-Tirunelveli
– Effective Refractive Error Coverage (eREC) through community outreach: Aligning with Vision 2030 goals (Paper Presentation)

Hawaii, USA, 25-28 June 2025

Doctors from Aravind participated in the 11th World Glaucoma Congress, organised by the World Glaucoma Association in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, where they presented papers and posters.

Dr. Indira Durai, Medical Consultant, Aravind-Thanjavur
– Genetic Screening for Myocilin (MYOC) mutations in families of Juvenile Open-Angle Glaucoma (JOAG) patients in a South Indian population (Poster Presentation)

Dr. Megha, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind – Salem
– Smartphone applications for glaucoma patients and the visually impaired (Poster)

Dr. S. Kavitha, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Pondicherry
– Glaucoma practice outside the US (Talk)
– Pearls for acute angle closure management (Talk)
– Tubes in difficult scenarios (Chairperson)
– Leveraging LLMs to unpack the black box of shared medical appointments and patient engagement (Poster)

Dr. R. Sharmila, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind – Madurai
– Nanophthalmos with glaucoma (Speaker)
– Glauco guard: AI based glaucoma risk prediction tool to guard your vision (Poster)
– Comparing the surgical outcomes of combined KDB phacoemulsification versus NPDS phacoemulsification for advanced glaucoma with coexisting cataract (Poster)
– Visual and surgical outcomes of combined non penetrating deep sclerectomy and phacoemulsification in eyes with severe and end stage glaucoma (Poster)
– Analysis of ”re-surgeries” following primary glaucoma surgical intervention in a tertiary care centre (Poster)
– When things look bleak, there is always a silver lining. The Quadruple procedure in Microspherophakia (Film Festival)

Dr. A. Vijayalakshmi, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind – Madurai
– Glaucoma in post-corneal transplants eyes (Speaker)

Dr. H. Kasthuri Bai, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind – Madurai
– Comparison of IOP measurement between rebound tonometer and pulsair non-contact tonometer in the paediatric population (Poster)
– Safety and efficacy of Micropulse in paediatric eyes with refractory glaucoma (Poster)

Dr. Mohideen Abdul Kader, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli
– The great escape of the optic nerve head “Reversal of Cupping”-Post GATT (Listed in the TOP 10 Photo/Images exhibit)
– Outcomes of combined phacoemulsification with 5-0 prolene Gonioscopy assisted transluminal trabeculotomy Versus Phaco Trabeculectomy in primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) (Poster)
– Enhancing early glaucoma detection through family screening to reduce glaucoma related blindness: A high-volume Indian project (Paper presentation)

Dr. Devendra Maheswari, Senior Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli
– Non –Penetrating Deep Sclerectomy (Faculty talk)
– MIGS instructor along with Masaki Tanito
– Glaucoma drainage device session (Chairperson)
– Outcomes of GATT in POAG versus PACG (Poster presentation)
– ASOCT in glaucoma (Video presentation)

Dr. Nimrita Nagdev, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli
– Consecutive Travel grant award WGC (2023, 2025)
– Role of peripheral vision centres in fight against glaucoma (Video presentation)
– Outcomes of GATT in mild-moderate and advanced glaucoma (Poster presentation)

Osaka, Japan, 27-28 June 2025

Dr. Kowsalya, Medical Consultant, Neuro-Ophthalmology Services, Aravind–Madurai, presented papers and a poster at the 10th Asia Pacific Tele-Ophthalmology Society (APTOS) Symposium, held in Osaka, Japan.
– Effectiveness of teleophthalmology enabled primary eye care centres in diagnosis and management of neuro-ophthalmic conditions (Paper)
– Leveraging primary eye care centres for myopia detection and management: A digital approach to eyecare (Paper)
– How to begin and sustain teleconsultation (E Poster)