L V Prasad Eye Institute records 50K Corneal Transplants
Hyderabad: The Shantilal Shanghvi Cornea Institute, a centre of excellence for cornea care at the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), has performed the highest number of corneal transplants ever (over 50K), by any eye care institution in the world. This places LVPEI at the top of large volume cornea care centres in the world. The L V Prasad Eye Institute, at its Dr Kallam Anji Reddy Campus organised an evening to celebrate this milestone.
In India nearly 2% of the adult population is blind and about 13% are visually impaired. Corneal opacities are the second major cause of blindness in India among those who are 50 years and older—and the primary cause in those younger. Infection, trauma or other damage can make the cornea opaque, leaving the person blind. In such cases, the solution may be a corneal transplant, where the opacified cornea is replaced with a donor tissue.
This milestone was made possible by a committed group of surgeons and many allied teams, and the trust reposed in us by scores of supporters all over the world who were generous with their treasure, time and talent. This achievement would not have been possible but for the generosity of cornea donor families who chose to donate the precious tissue.
Shri Venkaiah Naidu speaking on the occasion via video link, congratulated the LV Prasad Eye Institute on achieving the milestone of fifty thousand corneal transplants. He said, in achieving this exceptional feat LV Prasad Eye Institute has become the world’s only institute to have done it. Bharat as a nation is proud of this extraordinary accomplishment of this institute. I followed this remarkable journey closely over the years. In fact, as one of the beneficiaries of this procedure in the very early days of this journey, I am very aware of the challenges Dr GN Rao garu and his entire team have encountered and handled at every step of the path. I distinctly recall that I had to wait for a long period of time for my surgery because of the scarce supply of corneal tissues. Today, the situation is completely different, as all of you know LV Prasad Institute has single handedly transformed the demand and supply in this challenging area. I am glad that nobody who needs a corneal transplant in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa has to wait for a corneal transplant. The availability of corneal tissues is no more a limitation, this in itself is an extraordinary accomplishment of the Institute. In a country where organ donation is not a norm, this achievement is even more noteworthy, and the Institute deserves all the credit for this extraordinary feat. The eye banks of the institute collected more than 1,20,000 corneal tissues and have also achieved the distinction of being the biggest eye bank network in the whole of Asia Pacific Region. I appeal to the people of the country to replicate this rare achievement everywhere and ensure that there is no waiting list anywhere in the country. Performing 50,000 corneal transplantation surgeries is a milestone, which reflects not only the commitment of the Institute which excels in Ophthalmology, but also had a profound impact on transforming the lives of countless individuals suffering from blindness. LV Prasad Institute stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration for other hospitals and institutions in our country and globally, setting a new standard in the fight against corneal related blindness. Dr Rao is known for his meticulous planning and devoted work that led to this accomplishment, it underscores the remarkable progress that can be made with vision and perseverance. I am certain that your continued innovation and dedication will inspire many others to follow in your footsteps. Indeed, it’s a proud moment for me to join the LV Prasad Institute family in this celebration. I would like to wish you all every success in future endeavors and wholeheartedly support your efforts in addressing the vision impairment blindness.
