Ramoji Foundation Supports a Dedicated Centre for Eye Infections at L V Prasad Eye Institute

Hyderabad: Supported by the Ramoji Foundation, L V Prasad Eye Institute in Banjara Hills in Hyderabad now has a centre dedicated to treating patients with various eye infections – The Ramoji Foundation Centre for Eye Infections. While Cataract is the leading cause of blindness, eye infections caused by various organisms involving different parts of the eye is another major cause of blindness in India and many developing countries. Equipped with cutting-edge technology for the early diagnosis and management of patients with various eye infections, LVPEI is playing a leadership role globally in the field of ocular infections. This support provided by Sri Ramoji Rao, Chairman – The Ramoji Group and Founder – The Ramoji Foundation, will help LVPEI to further enhance its activities in this area and benefit many more people. 

Based on a study, nearly 1.5 million people lose sight every year due to severe infections of the cornea. In countries such as India, injuries in the workplace and agriculture injuries are the most common causes of infection, followed by malnutrition and harmful traditional practices. As most of these patients belong to the productive age group (40-60 years), it adds to the economic burden of the families.

During the past 18 months (January 2019 – October 2021), over 3800 patients with various kinds of eye infections (including corneal infections, infections in the back of the eye, and outer coats) were treated at the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad. Last year, around 50 percent of the total corneal transplants performed at the Institute were to treat corneal infections. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a sudden surge of unique eye infections was caused by the black fungus (Mucormycosis), and LVPEI successfully managed nearly 500 patients referred from across India. The Institute regularly organizes several educational and training programs for ophthalmologists, microbiologists, and other eye care professions to build their capacities for early diagnosis and treatment of eye infections in patients. LVPEI is also leading research groups on infections and has published over 1000 publications in various high-impact peer-reviewed international Journals. 

“We are sincerely grateful to Sri Ramoji Rao for his generous contribution. Our focus will be on developing advanced molecular techniques for early diagnosis and cost-effective, minimally invasive surgical treatment to treat ocular infections in patients. A comprehensive system for screening and treating corneal infections in the LVPEI’s rural eye care network centres will be established. We will also collaborate with international institutes for carrying out in-depth research in the lesser-known eye infections and capacity building of eye care professionals,” said Dr Prashant Garg, Executive Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute.