Aravind hosted the 29th Annual Meeting of the Indian Eye Research Group, this year. The insightful discussions and scientific sessions of the conference not only enriched Aravind’s practices but also made a notable contribution to advancing patient care on a broader scale.

Aravind doctors participated in various events at the 70th Platinum Jubilee Conference of the Tamil Nadu Ophthalmic Association (TNOA) and won numerous awards and prizes. These accolades demonstrate their profound knowledge and skills in keeping up with the latest updates in the field of ophthalmology.

Aravind is also actively involved in various welfare initiatives, beyond eye care. One notable recent event was the distribution of educational kits to government schools through the Residents Social Responsibility (RSR) programme.

These remarkable stories, alongside many others, are featured in this issue.

Note: The events that happened between 15th July and 15th August are featured here.

Awards presented during the inaugural function of the conference
– for the year 2022

– for the year 2023

Eureka Innovation Odyssey category Prizes

Best Poster Award

Best Paper Award

Quiz

Aravind-Madurai, 8^th August

The postgraduate students from Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, offered educational kits, including uniforms, and school bags, to the students of Govt. Girls High School, Mahaboopalayam. This initiative was carried out through the RSR Programme, with the aim of extending service beyond eye care. The event was led by Dr. Venkatesh Prajna, Director, Academics.

Aravind-Pondicherry, 5^th August

Dr. G. Natchiar, Director Emeritus, inaugurated a new array of solar panels at Aravind-Pondicherry. The hospital’s existing 340 kW solar setup was enhanced with an additional 200kW system. This sustainable initiative benefits the environment and generates 828,280 units of electricity, covering 50% of total consumption.

Aravind – Tirunelveli, 3^rd August

On the auspicious occasion of Aadi Perukku, the inauguration of the operation theatre in the new building took place at Aravind – Tirunelveli. Subsequently, surgeries were performed later on the day.  Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, Advisor, inaugurated the operation theatre complex in the presence of Dr. R. Meenakshi, Chief Medical Officer, MLOPs, and administrative staff.

Aravind – Tirunelveli, 2^nd August

A cultural evening marked the celebration of Aadi Kondattam, organised for the new MLOP recruits. The event began with a welcome address by Gayathri, MRD Trainee. The event was graced by special guests, including Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, Saradha, Volunteer, Dr. Meenakshi, Dr. Padmavathy, Medical Consultant and Dr. Fathima, Medical Consultant. They were presented with heartfelt gifts prepared by Kalaivani, Facility Coordinator Trainee.

During the event, Dr. R. Meenakshi, Dr. Padmavathy, and V. Arumugam, Nursing Superintendent, delivered inspiring speeches encouraging the enthusiastic participation of the MLOPs. The newly joined trainees showcased their talents through a variety of cultural performance, including folk dances, singing film songs, and two informative talks about the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru. Kamarajar.  The programme concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Tanya, Counselling Trainee.

Aravind-Tirupati, 22-23 July

A CME programme on “NeuroInsight” was organised by Aravind-Tirupati, focusing on the latest developments in Neuro-Ophthalmology in 2023. The guest faculty members Dr. Prem Subramanian, Professor, Division Head, Neuro-Ophthalmology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA, Dr. Umapathi N Thirugnanam, Senior Consultant, Singapore National Eye Centre and National Neuroscience Institute and a team of doctors from various Aravind Eye hospitals, led by Dr. Mahesh Kumar, Chief, Neuro-Ophthalmology Services, Aravind-Madurai and Dr. Preeti Mohanty, Chief, IOL Services, shared their expertise. The event brought together a diverse group of experts, including neurologists, radiologists and neurosurgeons.

The keynote address was delivered by the chief guest, Dr. Alladi Mohan, Dean, Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupati. Dr. G. Natchiar, Director-Emeritus, Aravind Eye Care System, delivered an inspiring speech highlighting the vital role of Ophthalmologists in diagnosing and managing neurological disorders.

The session comprised a comprehensive overview of basic neuro-ophthalmic examination techniques and advanced investigative modalities.

In addition to the main CME, a workshop was conducted, featuring various specialised topics, including  – Hess & Diplopia charting, Visual fields in Neuro-Ophthalmology, OCT & FFA and Neurological evaluation. Further, Low Vision Aids were displayed by Dr. Divya and the MLOPs during the workshop. A total of 214 delegates from various regions of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu participated in the event.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 24^th July

The inauguration of new equipment occurred at Aravind-Tirunelveli. Dr. R. Ramakrishnan, and Dr. Meenakshi inaugurated the new equipment in the retina unit in the presence of Dr. Syed Mohideen Abdul Kadar, HOD – Retina, Dr. Ram Sudarshan, Medical Consultant, and a few MLOPs and Admin staff. The new equipment, which includes the “CLARUS 700 – FFA Machine & Fundus Photo” and “PASCAL Laser” machines, was dedicated for use.

Aravind – Chennai 20-21 July 

The workshop organised by Aravind-Chennai, aimed to provide valuable insights into the science, preoperative evaluation, surgical factors, and postoperative evaluation of toric, multifocal, and extended depth of focus IOLs. Around 50 medical officers from Tertiary and Secondary Aravind Eye Hospitals participated in the workshop.

Aravind-Tirunelveli, 16^th July

Aravind-Tirunelveli organised the CME programme in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Ophthalmic Association (TNOA). Dr. Meenakshi R welcomed the participants, and Dr. R. Ramkrishnan, President – TNOA and Advisor, Aravind -Tirunelveli, delivered the Presidential address. Dr. Atheek Shaik, Chairman, ARC gave an overview of the CME. TNOA office bearers Dr. Mohan Rajan, the previous president, Dr. Nirmal Fredrick,  President-elect., Dr. Sriram Gopal, Secretary, Dr. Ravishankar, Joint Secretary participated as guest faculty.

Dr. Ramalakshmi, HOD, Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TVMCH), Dr. Anandhi, Associate Professor, TVMCH, Dr. Praveen Kumar, Dr. Anil Kumar Eye Hospital, Dr. Kasinathan, Director, Klarity Eye Hospital, Dr. Rajendran, Padma Hospital, Dr. Vigneswar R, Aravind-Dindigul were the invited external speakers.  Dr. Syed Mohideen Abdul Kader, Dr. Aarthy, Dr. Anitha Venugopal, Dr. Maneksha, and Dr. Padmavathy were the internal speakers and moderators of the session. Senior ophthalmologist, Dr. John Abraham, Dr. Chokkanathan, Dr. P.T. Balasingh, and Dr. Rajendran were felicitated by TNOA president during the event.

AMRF, 28^th July

A one-day symposium was conducted with support from Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The event began with a welcome address by Prof. K. Dharmalingam and inaugural address by Dr. P. Namperumalsamy, President, Aravind Medical Research Foundation (AMRF). Dr. A. Vanniarajan, Scientist, AMRF provided an overview of the symposium’s content. There were 108 participants from various research institutions and universities across the country.

The symposium featured fifteen talks by scientists in translational research, covering five key areas.

Gene Editing/Cell Therapy for Retinal Diseases:

• Arkasubhra Ghosh – AAV vector transgene engineering for therapeutic applications
• Sowmya Parameswaran – Unveiling hidden horizons: Addressing subtle barriers in retinal pigment epithelial cell transplantation
• Indumathi Mariappan – Targeted genome editing: Creating disease models and developing tailored therapies for IEDs

Immunopathology of Ocular Disorders:

• SR Rathinam – Translational research in uveitis
• Nallathambi Jeyabalan – Role of autophagy and its modulation in the pathogenesis of pterygium: Therapeutic approach and applications
• Swaminathan Sethu – Ocular immune cell diversity in health and disease

Novel Approaches for Treatment of Corneal Infections,

• Thirumurthy Velpandian – Innovative concepts to widen the scope of antimicrobials for corneal infections and drug resistance
• Sanhita Roy – Peptides as alternative therapeutics for corneal infections
• Vivek Singh – Hydrogel and 3D printing in corneal wound healing

Exosomes in Eye Health and Disease

• Daipayan Banerjee – Serum extracellular vesicles in retinoblastoma: What do we know so far? – Extracellular vesicles in diabetic retinopathy: A comparative proteomic analysis of plasma and vitreous humor derived Evs
• Gowri Priya – Trabecular meshwork stem cells derived exosomes enhanced proliferation and anti-oxidant potential of trabecular meshwork cells
• Nirmal Jayabalan – Nanomicelles: A solution-driven platform technology to treat corneal infection

Genetic Diagnosis and Therapy for Inherited Eye Diseases.

• Inderjeet Kaur – Predictive testing for retinopathy of prematurity
• G. Kumaramanickavel – Paradigm shift in genetic counselling in the Post-NGS era

AMRF, 29-30 July

The 29^th annual meeting of the Indian Eye Research Group – ARVO India Chapter was held at AMRF, Madurai, with the theme of “Innovations in Eye Health: Technology to Translation”.

The meeting featured seven scientific sessions covering various ocular segments, such as the retina, cornea, orbit, and diseases like diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, keratoconus, and ocular infections. Many talks focused on translational research, including gene therapy and stem cell therapy for retinal diseases and corneal dystrophies. The significance of artificial intelligence in diagnosing ocular disease was discussed in detail. There was a special discussion on Emerging Areas of Indian Eye Research – Future Perspective that helped establish goals for future research.

The event saw participation from 220 individuals, including scientists from academia and industry, young researchers, clinical fellows and optometrists from across the country. There were six invited talks, 18 free papers, 123 posters, and two industry talks. Two best presentation awards were given in both posters and free paper categories. Additionally, travel support was provided to eleven young trainees/clinical fellows. The popular quiz programme, I-Quest, was conducted, and prizes were given to the winner and runner-up.

Three oration lectures were presented by eminent scientists in frontier areas of research:

• Colin Willoughby, Professor of Ophthalmology, Ulster University, UK, delivered the Bireswar Chakrabarti Oration titled Reverse Engineering Glaucoma: A path to improving glaucoma treatment.
• Subhabrata Chakrabarti, Associate Director, LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad delivered the D. Balasubramanian Oration titled Molecular dissections of a blinding disease in children through evolving omics in the sands of time.
• V. Mohan, Chairman and Chief of Diabetology, Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai gave the Dr. S.S. Badrinath Oration on Making India diabetes complications free: Hype or reality?

The meeting also included a special talk on Vaigai – The cradle of Tamil civilisation and a cultural programme enjoyed by all participants. The event was organised by AMRF under the aegis of ARVO with support from Aurolab, Spinco Biotech, Mankind Pharma, Sun Pharma, Thermo Scientific, Zivira Labs, Lific, Biokart, Theracues, Fortune Biosciences, Synergy Scientific, National Scientific, Ileco and Spinco Analytica.

Aravind-Madurai, 10^th August

The Rotary Orange project is expanding vision centres in collaboration with their partner hospitals. Aurolab supports this initiative by providing them with the vision centre package and has supplied more than 100 packages for this project so far. This effort has established 100 centres through the combined work of the project leadership team and partnering hospitals. Aurolab’s marketing and service team ensured a smooth implementation in the partner hospitals.

The Mission for Vision also joined the project and inaugurated their first partnered vision centre on 10^th August. This vision centre was supported by Aurolab’s VC package.

Aurolab, 11^th August

Aurolab hosted its very first retinal-focused webinar, led by Dr. V.R. Saravanan, Chief – Retina Vitreous Services, Aravind-Coimbatore. Dr. Saravanan’s presentation included surgical videos, demonstrating techniques for silicon oil insertion and removal. He also discussed the history and applications of perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL), explaining the nuances of selecting appropriate cannulas and syringes for PFCL injections.

The webinar not only offered insights into retinal surgery strategies but also promoted collaborative learning. The event has drawn attendance from a diverse audience including retinal surgeons and fellows. Around 40 participants joined the webinar.

Aurolab, 28^th July

Aurolab conducted a webinar on “Together As One” for cataract surgeons. The session was led by Dr. M.S. Ravindra, MD, Karthik Netralaya, Bangalore. The webinar explored the combined use of two IOL technology platforms: Aurovue Vivid & Aurovue Dfine. Around 40 participants attended the programme.

Trichy, 4-6 August

Aurolab participated in the 70th Platinum Jubilee Annual Conference of TNOA 2023 and showcased their products. During the conference, at the scientific session, Dr. Shivakumar Chandrashekharan, Chief I- Cataract Service, Aravind – Tirunelveli delivered a talk on Indigenous premium IOLs.

Aurolab, 20-21 July

Aurolab organised their first-ever PG workshop at JIPMER Institute, Pondicherry. The workshop aimed to raise awareness among PG doctors about AUROLAB and its product range, which includes I-Scope, Volk lenses, indirect ophthalmoscopes, and other equipment. During the workshop, the PG doctors had the opportunity to try out different types of Volk lenses, including the 90D and 20D lenses, along with the Volk super series lenses. They also had the chance to observe products like Hawk I with an imaging system and e-see etc.

Aurolab, 8^th and 12^th July

The campaign, named ‘Mission ToRCh – A Mission To Reach Children,’ initiated by Aurolab’s Therapeutic team, aimed to provide primary eye care, including medicines and spectacles, to orphaned and underprivileged children at no cost.

On 8th July, the campaign was conducted at Vakil Eye Clinic, Coimbatore, for the children of Don Bosco Anbu Illam. During the event, 31 children were screened, and 10 spectacles requirements were identified.

On 12th July, a similar campaign took place at Shri Rukmini Polyclinic, Tirunelveli, for the children of St. Anne’s Normal Home. A total of 52 children underwent screening, and 11 spectacles requirements were noted. Additionally, the doctors provided awareness about eye care and the role of nutrition in improving eyesight to these children. Spectacles will be distributed free of cost to those who are identified at their respective places.

Hyderabad/Chennai, 7-9 July

Aurolab participated in the Telangana Ophthalmology Conference (TOS) held in Hyderabad from 7-9 July and the Indian Intraocular Implant Refractive Surgery (IIRSI) Convention held in Chennai from 8-9 July. The Aurolab products were showcased at these events.

Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, 8-10 August

An eight-member team, including Dr. Vivekananda, Chief, Cataract and General Ophthalmology Services, Aravind-Pondicherry, Deepak Kanade, CAO, Sitapur Eye Hospital (SEH), Sitapur, Sharma, Civil Engineer, SEH, Naveed, Accountant, SEH,  Akshay Verma, Technical Officer, SEH,  Kasirajan, Architect, Design Collaborative, Vinoth, Engineer, Aravind-Madurai, and Suresh Kumar, Senior Faculty, LAICO, conducted a gap assessment visit to B.S. Mehta Eye Hospital – a branch of SEH, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The objective of the visit was to assess the infrastructure, availability and condition of equipment, the current HR availability and their roles. This assessment team will provide a detailed report on the renovation of the existing building, the required equipment for establishing a secondary eye hospital, the training needs for the current staff, and the necessity for additional trained staff.

LAICO, 25-28 July

LAICO hosted the 14th batch of the “Eyexcel – Excellence in Eye Care Training” course, with eight teams comprising a total of 19 participants from Bangladesh and India. Each team focused on enhancing their training projects and creating competency-based curriculum. Participants engaged in project-based learning through interactive sessions, gaining exposure to training resources, interactive techniques, and assessment tools.