Aravind commenced its services to the people of Thanjavur and the neighbouring districts in the delta region of Tamil Nadu on 20^th April 2025, fulfilling a long-standing need for affordable eye care. During the grand inauguration of the facility, one of the chief guests, Srimant Rajasri Babaji Rajah Bhonsle Chhatrapati, Hereditary Trustee of the Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam, warmly welcomed Aravind to the sacred soil of Thanjavur. In his address, he remarked that the hospital would stand tall, like the temples of this land, serving generations to come.

Two vision centres have been relocated to rural areas surrounding Aravind-Tirunelveli and Aravind-Salem, revealing Aravind’s commitment to accessible eye care.

Aravind doctors participated in ASCRS 2025, held in Los Angeles, CA, and received prestigious awards for their papers, posters, and videos. Of particular mention is Dr. R. Venkatesh, CMO of Aravind-Pondicherry, who won the ASCRS 2025 Film Festival Award in the Glaucoma Surgery category for the sixth consecutive time.

The month of May also saw the usual happening of CME programmes, workshops, and other activities, all carried out alongside busy clinical schedules during the summer vacation rush across Aravind hospitals.

Highlights of these events, and much more that took place between 15^th April 2025 and 15^th May 2025, are featured in this edition.

25-28 April 2025, Los Angeles, CA

ASCRS 2025 Film Festival Winner – Glaucoma Surgery Category
Dr. R. Venkatesh, Chief Medical Officer, Aravind-Pondicherry
Title: Bleed blue: Dye today to evaluate the effectiveness of Ab-interno glaucoma surgeries

Dr. Haripriya Aravind, Chief, Intraocular Lens & Cataract Services, Aravind-Chennai
Inducted into the Prestigious, The International Intra-Ocular Implant Club (IIIC)
(Proposed by Dr. David Chang and Dr. Steve Arshinoff)

Dr. V.R. Vivekanandan, Chief, Cataract-General Ophthalmology Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli
Winner – High Impact Pearl Award in Cataract Symposium, &
ASCRS Film Festival Runner-Up in Quality Teaching Category
Title: What Not to Do – Part I

Dr. Sathya T. Ravilla, Chief, Paediatric Ophthalmology & Adult Strabismus Services, Aravind-Tirupati
ASCRS 2025 Film Festival Winner – In-House Productions
Title: Aberrations for dummies!

Dr. Seema Ramakrishnan, Medical Consultant, Cornea Services, Aravind-Chennai
ASCRS 2025 Film Festival Runner-up in Special Interest Category
Title: Convertible irrigation aspiration: A zero-cost innovation for cortex removal in difficult situations

Dr. Devendra Maheswari, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli
Best Paper of the Session on Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) II
Title: Comparative study of surgical outcomes in Gonioscopy assisted transluminal combined with phacoemulsification in POAG vs PACG

Dr. R. Sankarananthan, Medical Consultant, Cataract & Uvea Services, Aravind-Salem
Best Paper of the Session on Cataract Surgery-Techniques
Title: Impact of virtual reality simulator-based training in reducing complications in cataract surgery: A comparative analysis

Nepal, 27-28 April 2025

B.S. Ganesh Babu, Senior Faculty, LAICO, won the best paper award in the podium presentation at the ISGEO Conference 2025, held at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, Kathmandu.
Title: Novel approach for enhancing Effective Cataract Surgical Coverage (eCSC) and effective Refractive Error Coverage (eREC): Lessons from a pilot initiative at Aravind Eye Hospital (AEH), INDIA

Aravind-Madurai, 12^th May 2025

The stores department of Aravind–Madurai was successfully relocated from the OPD Building to the AMRF Building. The event was marked by a lamp lighting ceremony and the gracious presence of senior leadership members.

The relocation to the AMRF Building has provided a more spacious and efficient environment, facilitating the smooth flow of store operations. This shift is expected to streamline processes and provide a better space for both staff and users.

Aravind–Madurai, 11^th May 2025

A one-day seminar on Ophthalmology Practice Development was conducted at Aravind-Madurai in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Ophthalmic Association (TNOA). Designed to support practicing ophthalmologists, the seminar included five modules: increasing patient demand, building productive and high-performing teams, managing finances, and enhancing the quality of care.

The panel discussion at the end of the programme addressed participants’ questions. The event brought together 46 participants from 18 districts across Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 7^th May 2025

The Ettaiyapuram Vision Centre was relocated to Thiruchendur, and the inauguration was led by Dr. R Ramakrishnan, Advisor, Aravind-Tirunelveli, in the presence of Dr. R. Meenakshi, CMO, Aravind-Tirunelveli, staff members and well-wishers of AECS. Several dignitaries and local leaders graced the occasion. From Aravind-Tirunelveli, staff including, Dr. Parvathy, Incharge of Thiruchendur Vision Centre, Vikky Kumar, Manager, Mahadevan, PRO, Murugan, EMR Coordinator, Shanmuga Sundari, Clinical Manager, Vision Centres, Stella Baby, Assistant Nursing Superintendent, Stephen, VC Coordinator, Kalaiselvi, Tutor, Facility Coordination, and Sudalai Shankar, Electrician, managed the event. On the inaugural day, 54 patients underwent examinations.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 7^th May 2025

An Outdoor Play Area for MLOP hostelers was inaugurated by Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, Saradha, and Dr. Meenakshi, in the presence of Dr. S. Padmavathy, Regional HR Director, Dr. A. Fathima, and Dr. Jaisripriya, MLOP Incharge Doctor 2.  The inaugural function was attended by Admin staff and MLOPs. The facility features various equipment to encourage physical activity, improve concentration, promote friendships, and serve as a relaxing recreational space for the MLOPs.

Aravind-Madurai, 5-10 May 2025

To facilitate an initiative of the Seva Foundation, conducting a standardised assessment of Vision Centres, a team of selected Vision Centre Managers and staff members from Aravind underwent a three-day online orientation programme. Following this, a collaborative evaluation was conducted at three Vision Centres of M.M. Joshi Eye Hospital, Hubballi, located in Kittur, Hukkeri, and Yellapur, and three Vision Centres of LV Prasad Eye Institute, located in Ballari, Uravakonda, and Rayadurg.

During the first round of assessments, Jhansi Sunitha, Project Manager, Vision Centre and Rajathi, Refractionist, Vision Centre, Gandhigram, assessed the Vision Centres under M.M. Joshi Eye Hospital, Hubballi, Karnataka, while Naveen visited the Vision Centres under LV Prasad Eye Institute, Ballari. These initial site visits focused on reviewing key operational areas such as Vision Centre profiles and service delivery, sustainability of operations, data management practices, and adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

The primary goal of the visits was to observe and learn from the operational methodologies of Eye hospitals, identify effective practices, and explore opportunities to replicate these best practices across other vision centres supported by the Seva Foundation.

Aravind-Salem, 5^th May 2025

Dr. B. Manohar Babu, CMO, Aravind–Salem, formally inaugurated a new Vision Centre at Thammampatti, relocated from Namagiripettai. The event was attended by several dignitaries, well-wishers, and Aravind staff members. On its first day of service, the Vision Centre recorded over 65 outpatient visits.

Aravind-Madurai, 28^th April 2025

An eye care awareness session was held at LAICO for a group of 32 participants representing various Kalanjiam groups of the DHAN Foundation. Dr. S. Lalitha Prajna, Chief Microbiologist, Aravind-Madurai, welcomed the team and appreciated the Foundation for its initiative and coordination. R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Senior Manager, Clinical Services, Aravind-Madurai, spoke about the prevalence of eye conditions in the community and the socio-economic barriers that hinder access to eye care. The event was coordinated by Murugesan, Camp Organiser.

Aravind-Madurai, 28^th April 2025

Conducted by Aravind-Madurai, the CME on fundus imaging for vision centre technicians and coordinators aimed to encompass all aspects of quality fundus image capturing techniques and how to avoid ungradable fundus images. During the programme, fundus images captured by the vision centre MLOPs were assessed by both clinicians and technicians, and further refined. Additionally, a Kahoot quiz activity was conducted, and a brief game was held to strengthen camaraderie among the MLOPs. The winners of various events were recognised with small tokens of appreciation. The CME was informative, engaging, and interactive.

Aravind-Pondicherry, 27^th April 2025

A focused workshop on advanced lamellar corneal surgeries was organised by Aravind–Pondicherry. The sessions covered Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK), Descemet’s Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSEK), and Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK).

Dr. Ashwin and Dr. Sankalp Singh Sharma, Medical Consultants, Cornea and Refractive Surgery services, Aravind–Madurai, along with Dr. Devi R, Medical Consultant, Cornea and Refractive Surgery services, Aravind–Coimbatore, contributed to the success of the event.

Aravind-Chennai, 7^th April 2025

The MSICS Fundamental VR Simulator, donated by Orbis International, was officially launched at the ARCORE Training Centre, Chennai. Natalia Ronatowicz from the Fundamental VR team conducted an orientation session for postgraduates, fellows, and IOL Medical Consultants, followed by hands-on training with the simulator.

Aravind–Tirunelveli, 22^nd April 2025

A workshop on firefighting was organised for the staff of Aravind–Tirunelveli in two batches. The first batch attended both theory and practical sessions in the morning, while the second batch attended in the afternoon. Training covered basic firefighting techniques. Different types of fire extinguishers and their uses were discussed. A live firefighting demonstration and a mock evacuation drill were also conducted.

Sivagangai, 22^nd April 2025

Saravanan, Manager, Eye Bank, Aravind–Madurai, conducted a session on eye donation, the Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme, and the role of healthcare professionals in eye donation at the Primary Health Centre, Thiruvegampathur, Sivagangai. The session was attended by 50 participants, including doctors and Village Health Nurses (VHNs).

Aravind-Thanjavur, 20^th April 2025

The inauguration of the Aravind’s state-of-the-art hospital at Thanjavur, was presided over by Shri P.R. Venketrama Raja, Chairman, Ramco Group, as the chief guest, and Shri Babaji Rajah Bhonsle, Hereditary Trustee, Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam. Leadership members from Aravind, including Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, President, GOVEL Trust, Dr. G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, AECS, Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Chairman, AECS, R.D. Thulsi Raj, Executive Director Emeritus, LAICO, Dr. Aravind Srinivasan, Project Director, AECS, Dr. N. Venkatesh Prajna, Director of Finance, AECS, Dr. R. Kim, Director of IT, AECS, and Dr. Karthik Srinivasan, CMO, Aravind-Thanjavur were present at the occassion.

Spanning 300,000 sq. ft., this new facility, serves a population of 7.2 million in Thanjavur and surrounding districts. It offers both free and paid services across all ophthalmic subspecialties, with the capacity to handle 1,700–2,000 outpatients daily and perform 250-300 surgeries per day.

The hospital’s infrastructure includes 14 modern operating theatres, laboratories equipped with advanced medical instruments, separate wings for paying and free patients, suite rooms, postgraduate and MLOP hostels, staff quarters, and parking facilities.

Aravind-Madurai, 17^th April 2025

To commemorate 22 years of vision centre services, and to raise awareness about the services offered at Vision Centres, Aravind–Madurai organised a Vision Centre Exhibition, encouraging patients to consult locally and reduce unnecessary travel.

With the aim of delivering primary eye care to rural populations, Dr. G. Venkataswamy, and Dr. P. Namperumalsamy launched the first Telemedicine-enabled Vision Centre in Ambasamudram on 17th April 2004. Today, there are 117 Vision Centres, each staffed by a technician and a coordinator.

The exhibition featured a small Vision Centre setup, along with the awareness posters typically displayed in Vision Centres, to showcase how activities are carried out. Posters and banners detailing the services offered, Vision Centre locations with contact numbers, a photo of Dr. V inaugurating the first centre, and other educational materials were also displayed. Aurolab staff provided supported this event with instruments while the technician from the Vaddipatti Vision Centre explained the operations. Many visitors including patients, senior Aravind members, MLOPs, and admin staff, attended the exhibit. Notably, the staff adhered to a dress code of blue, reflecting the Vision Centre logo and upholding its tradition.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 23^rd March 2025

Aravind–Tirunelveli hosted NellaiCON 2025 in collaboration with AIOS ARC, TNOA ARC, and the Tirunelveli Ophthalmic Association. The event, themed “Insight on Phaco Eye Infection,” brought together some of the finest minds in ophthalmology for a morning of enriching academic discussions and knowledge exchange.

The CME featured three insightful sessions namely, SICS Simplified: Key Steps & Expert Insights, Phaco Revolution: From Cataract Removal to Refractive Excellence, and Surgical Infections: Prevention, Diagnosis and Management.

Renowned faculty including Dr. Santosh Honavar, Dr. Arulmozhi Varman, Dr. Prashant Bawankule, Dr. Srinivas Joshi, and many others shared their expertise through case-based presentations and panel discussions. The event saw enthusiastic participation from ophthalmologists across the region, fostering academic collaboration and clinical learning. The programme was well-received for its practical focus, interactive format, and high-quality scientific content. A total of 102 participants, including ophthalmologists, fellows, and postgraduates, attended the conference.

USA, 4-8 May 2025

Dr. Senthilkumari Srinivasan, Scientist, Ocular Pharmacology, AMRF, participated in the Annual Meeting of ARVO 2025, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. She presented a paper titled “Hsa-MiR-483-3p Regulates the Extracellular Matrix Proteins via TGFβ2/SMAD4 Signalling in Glucocorticoid-responsive Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells” in one of the glaucoma sessions on “Glaucoma: Aqueous Outflow Cell Biology, Fibrosis, and Wound Healing.” Her work was selected as the Hot Topic of ARVO 2025.

Nepal, 28^th April 2025

Aurolab proudly honoured its long-standing partnerships with three global organisations dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness during the IAPB 2030 event held in Nepal.

First, the Orbis International was recognised for its efforts in combating avoidable blindness worldwide. Special appreciation was extended to Dr. Alemayehu Sisay, Country Director, and Dr. Samson Tesfaye, Senior Program Manager, Orbis International, Ethiopia.

Secondly, Seva Foundation was acknowledged for its commitment to quality eye care in underserved communities. Special thanks were extended to Kuldeep Singh, Regional Director-Asia, and Dr. David Green, Consultant and Former Technology Director.

Thirdly, the Cure Blindness Project was honoured for its tireless work in restoring vision, recognising K.T. Overbey, Chief Executive Officer. Aurolab also recognised the NGO Projects Team, represented by Kamalakarthikeyan I and Jotheeswaran K, for their crucial role in driving these impactful initiatives. These partnerships reflect a shared mission of helping millions regain sight and build a better, brighter world.

Aurolab, 28^th April 2025

The CEOs of Optilasa, a leading Spanish company based in Madrid that manufactures slit lamps, keratometers, vision testers, and applanation tonometers, visited Aurolab for a technology transfer discussion focused on applanation tonometer technology.

Optilasa S.L. has maintained a successful partnership with Aurolab for over a decade in the field of glaucoma management. Key Aurolab representatives present included, R.D. Sriram, Managing Director, Ramnath, NPD Manager, Senbagarajan, Equipment Manager, S. Rajasekaran, Sr. Manager Design and Development, and B. Rajasekaran, OEM Business Head. The discussions aimed to strengthen the collaboration and explore new opportunities to advance technology in glaucoma management, paving the way for future business growth.

Aurolab, 25^th April 2025

Aurolab hosted an engaging and insightful workshop on the Scope of AI in the Business Environment, aimed at promoting a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

The session was led by Ram Mohan, Chief Strategy Officer, Identity Digital Inc., USA, who brought his vast experience and expertise in artificial intelligence (AI). His presentation offered a clear understanding of how AI is transforming various aspects of business, including sales, marketing, and decision-making. He also emphasised how businesses can leverage AI to enhance efficiency, make data-driven decisions, and remain competitive in the digital age. Altogether, the workshop featured interactive discussions, real-world examples, and practical insights, giving participants a comprehensive view of AI’s potential and its challenges.

LAICO, 27^th March – 24^th April 2025

The 46^th batch of the Management Training and System Development course for hospital administrators and managers was held at LAICO. This one-month course was attended by 12 participants, including one from Tanzania, two from Cameroon, two from Nepal, five from India, and two internal candidates. The course was well received by the participants, as it included a variety of learning resources and interactive sessions. On the final day, participants prepared action plans to implement in their respective hospitals.

LAICO, 1-30 April 2025

Conducted by LAICO, three technicians from Nepal attended the 136^th batch of the in-person Ophthalmic Instrument Maintenance course. The trainees received hands-on experience in handling and maintaining ophthalmic instruments. As part of the programme, they visited Aravind Eye Hospital, Tirunelveli. They were also trained in documentation practices, including breakdown maintenance, spares management, asset management, and record-keeping for calibration, AMC, and CMC. Each trainee was provided with a special toolkit.

Nepal, 29^th April – 1^st May 2025

R.D. Thulasiraj, Director-Operations, AECS & Executive Director Emeritus, LAICO, and Dhivya Ramasamy, Executive Director, LAICO, attended the meeting of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) that brought eye health sector together in Kathmandu, Nepal, to shape action for impact, for 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE in Kathmandu.

Nepal, 27-28 April 2025

Doctors, faculty members and leadership members from AECS, participated and presented paper and posters at the ISGEO 2025 Congress, held at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, Kathmandu. The theme is ‘Countdown to 2030: Challenges and opportunities for research and data’.

Podium Presentations:

Yesunesan, Senior Faculty, LAICO
Title:  Creating evidence through data-driven decision-making to achieve optimal cataract surgical outcomes

Dhivya Ramasamy
Title: Study of visit pattern of patients with diabetes across all levels of care

Jerrome Selvaraj, Research Associate, Aravind – Madurai
Title: Glaucoma prevalence in India: Trends over two decades and future projections to 2050

Sanil Joseph, Senior Faculty, LAICO
Title: Effectiveness and feasibility of artificial intelligence-based opportunistic screening for diabetic retinopathy in Australian real-world settings

Vinoth Kumar, Research Associate, Aravind-Madurai
Title: Impact of tech-enabled vision centres in achieving 2030 global eye health targets

Syed Ali, Senior Faculty, LAICO
Title: Understanding factors influencing cataract surgery uptake: The role of demographics, systemic conditions, and geographic distance in a tertiary eye hospital in South India

Mohammed Gowth, Senior Faculty, LAICO
Title: Does distance from base hospitals affects referral uptake at vision centres?

Udayakumar B., Senior Faculty, LAICO
Title: Salience effect of clinical interventions and disease progression in follow-up adherence of patients with diabetic retinopathy

Dr. Annamalai O., Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Service, Aravind-Pondicherry
Title: A scoping review to evaluate the evidence for family screening in glaucoma

Suganya R, Monitoring Executive, LAICO
Title: Pre-operative visual acuity evaluation among camp patients across 16 hospitals in 9 states: A comparison of urban and rural outcomes

Poster Presentations:

Dhivya Ramasamy
Title: Health readiness among patients in South India: Access, proficiency, and attitudes towards mobile-based tools

Udayakumar B
Title: Factors affecting follow-up adherence of glaucoma patients

Vinoth Kumar
Title 1: Methods for a population-based Comprehensive Eye care Workload Assessment (CEWA) study in Southern India
Title 2: Impact and cost-benefit of community-based Vision Centres in treating eye injuries: A retrospective study across eight South Indian districts