October is always an eventful season at Aravind, as it marks the birth anniversary of the founder, Dr. V. This year, through a series of events held across all Aravind centres, his 105th birthday was commemorated in a grand manner. Notably, the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Memorial Oration Award ceremony stood out, honouring Prof. Astrid E. Fletcher in recognition of her research contribution to eye care.
As part of the celebration, the October summit, an annual event series, featured Arangam, a platform for non-doctors, and Vision 2.0, which delved into futuristic developments in the primary healthcare centres. Additionally, a two-day workshop was held to enhance research in eye care.
Furthermore, the launch of AuroiTech, as an independent body of Aravind, introduction of a mobile app to assist patients, the inauguration of a new warehouse facility at Aurolab on Vision Day, and opening of the 108th vision centre in Viyampatti, Trichy, have contributed to making this month even more significant.

These stories and more are featured in this series.

The events that happened between 16^th September and 15^th October are highlighted in this edition.

12^th October

The Board of Management of Vision 2020: The Right to Sight-India honoured Thulasiraj Ravilla, Director Operations, Aravind Eye Care System (AECS), with the Guru Dronacharya Award, on World Sight Day 2023.

Delhi, 7-8 October

Dr. Haripriya Aravind, Chief, IOL & Cataract Services, Aravind-Chennai, was honoured with the Subodh Agarwal Gold Medal Award at the annual conference of the Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society of India (IIRSI) held at Hotel Pullman, Aerocity, New Delhi.
Title: Postoperative misalignment of toric IOLS; and Principles of IOL placement in eyes with PCR.

Pune, 6-8 October

Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, Advisor, Aravind-Tirunelveli
Oration title: Glaucoma now and then: The paradigm shift in surgical management

Pune, 6-8 October

Dr. Devendra Maheswari, Senior Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli
Runner-up
Video presentation title: Steer clear of blind entry: a new technique of ab interno tube
Category: Glaucoma Diagnostics

Dr. Swati Upadhyaya, Medical Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Aravind-Pondicherry
Runner-up
Video presentation title: DIY for glaucoma procedures: Practice makes a doctor perfect in Category: Glaucoma Management

4^th October

Dr. M. Srinivasan, Director Emeritus, Aravind Eye Care System (AECS), has been listed among the top ten Lifetime Highest-Cited Ophthalmology Researchers in India. This ranking for the year 2023 was announced by a panel of experts from Stanford University and Elsevier, based on the impact of his work in 2022. Notably, Dr. S.R. Rathinam, Chief, Uvea Services, Aravind-Madurai has been previously listed in the 2022 ranking based on citations in 2021. Furthermore, in the latest annual Top-Cited Researchers Ranking for 2023, Dr. M. Srinivasan, Dr. S.R. Rathinam, Dr. N. Venkatesh Prajna, Chief, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services, Aravind-Madurai, Dr. S. Lalitha Prajna, Chief, Microbiologist, Aravind-Madurai, have all been included.

Aravind-Coimbatore, 15^th October

Aravind-Coimbatore organised a CME on Cornea, discussing on topics such as, Approach to a case of suspected microbial keratitis, Management of PUK case-based approach, and Allergic conjunctivitis: All about ocular allergies. Dr. Venkatesh Prajna, Dr. Radhika Natrajan, Sankara Netralaya, Chennai and Dr. J.K. Reddy, Sankara Eye Hospital, Coimbatore delivered keynote addresses at three of the sessions, respectively. The CME included an online Kahoot quiz on cornea conducted by Dr. D. Chandrasekhar, Medical Consultant, Aravind-Coimbatore. Dr. P. Mangala, Medical Consultant, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Services, Aravind-Coimbatore, served as the organising secretary of the CME. A total of 12 faculty members handled and moderated each session, with 131 delegates participating, including 85 external delegates and 46 from Aravind.

Aravind-Madurai, 12-14 October

As part of the October Summit 2023, Aravind-Madurai organised Arangam, an intramural conference designed for MLOPs and admin staff across all Aravind centres. The event aimed to foster learning, continuous improvement, and innovation among them. This conference effectively addressed the absence of a platform for non-doctors to share and generate innovative ideas. A total of 230 participants from various Aravind centres took part in four parallel tracks: Care, Focus, Heal, and Train. These tracks featured instructional courses and competitions, including oral, poster, and video presentations, as well as quiz contests. There were over 220 innovative presentations, with 55 participants winning prizes.

Moreover, the programme included common events such as instructional courses and learning stalls, where informative posters and innovations were displayed. Cultural events, fun games, and a visit to the Keeladi Museum made the programme more engaging.

Vaiyampatti, 12^th October

Aravind-Madurai opened a new vision centre in Vaiyampatti, Trichy, becoming the 108^th centre of AECS. Dr. Kim, IT Director, AECS & CMO, Aravind-Madurai inaugurated the centre. Notable attendees, including Dr. Sanjana, Medical Officer, Aravind-Madurai; Subramaniyan, Panchayat President, Vaiyampatti; V.P. Senthil Kumar, President, Rotary Club; Jesintha, BDO, Isaac, Camp Sponsor, Ramesh, Camp Organiser; and several esteemed members from the local community, took part in the occasion.

Jhansi Sunitha, VC Manager, and Mohammed Gowth, Faculty, LAICO, from the Vision Centre team organised the event. The vision centre field staff, Raman, Nagalingam, and Rajapandian coordinated the proceedings. Mahalakshmi, VC Coordinator, Gandhigram Vision Centre, provided mentorship and support to the new VC staff during the initial week.

On the day of the inauguration, the centre examined 96 patients, with 27 patients recommended for cataract surgery, 12 patients advised to use eyeglasses, and 4 patients placing orders for glasses.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 10^th October

Aravind-Tirunelveli organised the graduation day for the second-year MLOPs who have successfully completed their two years of training. There were programmes including the sharing of experience by the second-year MLOPs, a lighting ceremony, and a pledge taking event. Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, and Dr. Padmavathy, Regional HR Director, Aravind-Tirunelveli, congratulated the graduating MLOPs and reiterated the vision and mission of the founder, Dr. V.

Aravind-Chennai, 24th September

Aravind-Chennai organised the graduation day for the second-year MLOPs in a grand manner. Dr. Haripriya, Regional HR Director, Aravind-Chennai & Tirupati, delivered a speech on Aravind’s Global Impact. K. Revathy, Manager, Administration, Aravind-Chennai elaborated on the benefits of being an MLOP. Additionally, the event featured a dance performance by senior MLOPs and presentations by MLOP trainees from each department showcasing their job roles. A significant moment during the ceremony was the candle lighting event by MLOPs. A total of 98 MLOP trainees successfully completed their two-year training programme and were promoted to MLOP employees. The occasion was graced by the presence of the parents of the MLOP trainees.

Madurai, 2^nd October

Auroitech has introduced Dhrishti, a mobile app that guides the patient during their visit to the hospital. The features of the mobile app in the initial phase include:
Treatment and care plan, medical prescription, advice on surgery and procedures, information on follow-up visits, adding family member details, and eye health awareness.

Vellore, 16^th October

Aravind Centre for Eye Care Innovation (ACEi) has successfully renewed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, for an additional five years. With the renewal of this MoU, ACEi aims to elevate the institutions’ innovations and development processes to new heights.

Aravind-Pondicherry, 8^th October

The first edition of Keraventure, a CME programme, was organised by Aravind-Pondicherry with a focus on enhancing keratoplasty practies among budding ophthalmologists as well as established cornea surgeons. The CME featured talks by leading experts, including Dr. Anitha Raghavan, Medical Director Designee, Aravind-IOB Eye Bank, Coimbatore, Dr. Srinivas K. Rao, Director, Darshan Eye Care, Chennai, Dr. Meena Lakshmipathy, Consultant, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, Dr. Geeta Behera, Associate Professor, JIPMER, Pondicherry, Dr. Anitha Venugopal, Chief, Cornea & Refractive Surgery Services, Aravind-Tirunelveli, and Dr. Divya Manohar, Medical Consultants, Cornea & Refractive Surgery Services, Aravind-Chennai. They shared their knowledge of various keratoplasty techniques with the participants. Also, there were case presentation sessions by fellows across the state, which yielded valuable discussions on current post-operative practices by the panellists. Additionally, an exciting quiz session was conducted for the residents and fellows. Following that, a 3D surgical show was presented by the Department of Cornea and Refractive Services, Aravind-Pondicherry. Lastly, Dr. Josephine Christy, Medical Director, Aravind Eye Bank Association, Pondicherry, Dr. Kunal Mandlik, and Dr. Kulharsh Jaiswal, Medical Consultant, Cornea & Refractive Services, Aravind-Pondicherry, along with Dr. Rashmita R, Medical Consultant, provided an immersive experience of penetrating and lamellar keratoplasty surgeries like DALK, DSEK, and DMEK, adding more significance to the event. A total of 109 participants attended this CME programme.

Aravind-Madurai, 30^th September

Aravind Eye Care System conferred the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Memorial Award 2023 upon Prof. Astrid E. Fletcher, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Epidemiology & Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, in recognition of her enduring contributions to eye care and the remarkable impact she has made in the field through her research findings. The grand ceremony was held at the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Eye Research Institute, Aravind-Madurai. Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Chairman, AECS, delivered the welcome address, and Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director, LAICO, introduced the awardee. Sanil Joseph, Senior Faculty, LAICO, read the citation. Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Chairman Emeritus, AECS, and Dr. G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, AECS, presented the citation and award to Prof. Astrid. Following that, Prof. Astrid delivered the Dr. G. Venkataswamy Memorial Oration on the topic, “Working with communities: Beliefs and behavior.” The programme concluded with a cultural performance, “Shiva Thandavam” by Kenisha Khatri, followed by a vote of thanks by Dr. Usha Kim, Chief, Orbit and Oculoplasty, Aravind-Madurai.

Prof. Astrid plays a significant role in global healthcare, serving as an expert advisor to the World Health Organization’s Study Group on Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly, providing consultations on blindness prevention, and acting as a technical advisor to the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA.

Astrid’s connection with Aravind began in 1992, when she was invited by the NEI to develop a quality-of-life assessment for the Madurai Intraocular Lens trial. Recognising her keen interest in epidemiological research, Dr. V. asked her to investigate the effectiveness of outreach eye camps in addressing the eye care needs of the community. In response, Astrid collaborated with a local NGO to study the barriers to eye care utilisation in southern India. Employing a mix of survey methodology and ethnographic and qualitative methods, this study revealed that less than 7% of those in need of eye care were utilising the eye camps. This revelation prompted Aravind to explore innovative approaches to increase the uptake of eye care services in rural communities, leading to the establishment of vision centres.

Aravind-Madurai, 30^th September

As part of the October summit, LAICO organised a workshop on Vision Centres 2.0, aiming to take primary eye care to the next level. The key areas of discussion revolved around improving the quality of care at vision centres, including reviewing and standardising the equipment, ensuring all equipment was in working condition, ensuring that all the vision centre staff adhere to various aspects of the clinical protocol to provide comprehensive eye care, and enabling IT support to generate reports for supporting operations and decision-making.

Additionally, a book on vision centre guidelines in Tamil was launched by Dr. P. Namperumalsamy and Dr. G. Natchiar during this event. Thulasiraj Ravilla, Ganesh Babu, Senior Manager Central Operations, Dr. Kim, Dr. R. Venkatesh, CMO, Aravind-Pondicherry, and Dr. Usha Kim, Clinical Head, Vision Centres, AECS, facilitated the discussions.

A total of 53 members from all Aravind hospitals and vision centres, including the senior leadership team and the chief medical officers, medical consultants, VC managers, HR managers, nursing superintendents, VC coordinators, and VC technicians, attended this workshop.

Aravind-Kovilpatti, 23^rd September

Aravind-Kovilpatti celebrated its 4^th annual day in a simple manner. Dr. Harini Krishna, Medical Consultant, Aravind-Kovilpatti provided a concise overview of the annual report. Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, and Dr. R. Meenakshi, CMO, Aravind-Tirunelveli, delivered inspiring speeches. Moreover, there were cultural performances by the doctors, sisters, and other supportive staff.

AMRF, 12-13 October

Aravind Medical Research Foundation (AMRF) organised a two-day workshop to commemorate the 105th birth anniversary of the founder, as a part of Scientific Social Responsibilities under an on-going SERB project (CRG/2020/00528). Dr. Ishwariya Venkatesh, Senior Scientist, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, Dr. K. Manojkumar, Senior Research Associate, CCMB, Hyderabad, Dr. Gopalakrishna Ramaswamy, Founder & CEO, TheraCUES Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, and Prof. K. Dharmalingam, Director-Research, AMRF, delivered the invited talks. Along with them, Dr. C. Gowri Priya, Dr. D. Bharanidharan, Senior Scientist, and Dr. Daipayan Banerjee; as well as research scholars, including R. Iswarya, A. Karthik, G. Hariharan, M. Gayathri, Shreya Dinesh, R. Praveenkumar, T. Gr. Aadhithiya, L. Mathan, and M. Kanmani, served as resource persons for the laboratory modules. The participants were updated on the recent advances in single-cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics, extracellular vesicles, proteomics, and data analysis. A total of 22 faculty members from colleges and universities participated in the workshop.

Aurolab, 1^st October

Aurolab marked a significant milestone with the inauguration of its state-of-the-art warehouse facility, spanning an impressive 20,000 square feet, tailored to efficiently manage medical devices, medications, and equipment produced at Aurolab. The new building was inaugurated by R. Dinesh, Chairman, TVS Supply Chain Solution, & President, Confederation of Indian Industries. R. Krishnakumar, Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs, delivered a warm welcome address, while Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, Trustee, Aurolab Trust honoured R. Dinesh and R.V. Duraiswamy, Former Marketing Manager. R.D. Sriram, Managing Director, Aurolab, delivered a poignant speech. During his address, R. Dinesh remarked that “when a man with a vision goes away, his vision also would vanish. But, in the case of Aravind, the vision is being perpetuated by his successors to realise his mission”. The occasion also featured the broadcast of Aurolab’s order processing video. The warehouse contractors were honoured at the event.

In order to address order implementation issues and enhance customer service efficiency, Aurolab has introduced an ERP software system, complemented by the development of Dealer’s Software, and embarked on the construction of this warehouse facility, equipped with global technology. Some of its key features include:

• Hosting 4,000 SKUs spanning 6 product groups
• Storing a 45-day stock, including 12-day quarantine.
• Handling 1,400 daily order lines, each comprising 120 pieces.
• Processing and shipping 160,000 units daily.
• Tote locations are structured following ABC analysis, allowing for the storage of 35,000 bins and 950 pallets.

LAICO, 2-3 October

LAICO organised a two-day workshop to bring together the key stakeholders in the field of eye care to explore the significance of building organisational research capacity. Thulasiraj Ravilla, set the context for the workshop’s objectives. This was followed by a keynote address delivered by Dr. Suzanne Gilbert, Senior Director, Research Strategic Opportunities at the Seva Foundation. Moreover, Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, President of GOVEL Trust and a pioneering figure in Aravind’s research endeavours, delivered a special address.

The workshop sessions were structured to achieve three primary goals:

• Promote the influence of research in modifying eye care practice.
• Foster collaboration between research and practice.
• Strengthen institutional research capabilities.

The workshop featured talks by the resource persons, including Prof. Astrid E. Fletcher, Prof. G.V.S. Murthy, Dr. R.D. Ravindran, Dr. Sharmila, Dr. S. Kavitha, Chief, Glaucoma Services Aravind-Pondicherry, and Dr. R. Kumaragurupari, Chief Librarian, Central office. Sanil Joseph efficiently anchored the workshop alongside the biostatistics team. The workshop saw enthusiastic participation from a total of 30 attendees, with 4 representing Nepal and 26 across various parts of India.

Visakhapatnam, 15^th October

Dr. Hemalatha, Orbit Fellow, Aravind-Madurai, participated and delivered a competitive case presentation on the topic Board exams over an eye of a 15-year-old boy.

Hyderabad, 20-22 October

Doctors from Aravind participated in several events during the annual conference of the Oculoplasty Association of India (OPAI) held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Izzathnagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, and played a variety of roles, including instructor, convenor, chairperson, judge, and speaker.

Dr. Usha Kim

• Instructor at the Workshop: Cadaver dissection for flaps, ptosis, and orbital surgery
• Judge at the free paper session.
• Chairperson at the symposium: Ocular Oncology
• Speaker on the topic: Genetics in Ocular Oncology: How does it help optimise care?
• Judge at the Ophthalmic Premier League

Dr. Meghana Tanwar

• Speaker at the photography session, on the topics, An unlikely intruder: How bad can TED get?
• Convenor of the Grand Video Theatre: Near-Live Surgery and Panel Discussion
• Speaker at the free paper session for YO: Globe Salvage in Panophthalmitis: and Identification of significant predictive factors using logistic regression and fine-gray models

Dr. Vinitha Rashme

• Speaker at the case presentation session on the topics Primary mucinous carcinoma of the eye lid and orbit: a case series; and free paper session for YO: Efficacy of interferon alpha-2b in the management of ocular surface squamous neoplasia: A report from a teaching hospital

Dr. Sayali Amberkar

• Speaker on the topics, Rare orbital masquerades; and Outcomes of Frontalis suspension with Silicone sling in BPES

Dr. Hemalatha

• Speaker at the case presentation on the topics, Dark side of the white moon; and Optic nerve sheath fenestration: Quality of life

Dr. Pooja Yadhav

• Speaker at the case presentation on the topic, Lymphoma: Not always

Dr. Anamika Pandey

• Speaker on the topic, A blast on the eyelid

Varanasi, 30^th September–1^st October

D. Saravanan, Manager, Eye Bank, Aravind-Madurai, participated in the annual conference of the Eye Bank Association of India held at Netrodaya The Eye City, Dafi, Varanasi. He handled a session on Management: Key to successful eye banking, presented a topic on Innovation in eye donation awareness in the eye bank premier league (EPL), and chaired a session on Video session in eye banking. Also, he served as a panellist for the session on Innovation leading to success at eye banks.

Chennai, 7^th October

Dr. Usha Kim delivered two special talks at the National Conference organised by the Department of Ophthalmology and Medical Education Unit, Sri Balaji Medical College Hospital.

The topics of her talk include:

• Dissection and demonstration on cadaver session: Orbit anatomy, lid and lacrimal anatomy, ptosis repair, ectropion and entropion correction, lacrimal probing, and keratoprosthesis
• Approaches to the Orbit – VAST

Mumbai, 1-2 September

Thulasiraj Ravilla was a keynote speaker at the Global Digital Health Summit 2023 that brought together world renowned experts who drive innovation and change across various industries. During the event, he delivered a speech as part of the session titled “Digital health and the rise of intelligent medicine: The role of big data, AI, robotics”.