Eye Cancer Treatment Facility at L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad

Operation Eyesight Universal and the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) are pleased to announce the opening of the Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today at this world-class facility, which has been established at LVPEI’s ocular oncology centre in Hyderabad.

“The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer will save countless lives through its early detection and integrated treatment programs,” said Brian Foster, Executive Director of Operation Eyesight Universal. “Thanks to a generous contribution from an Operation Eyesight donor family, and to Dr Gullapalli N Rao and his team at LVPEI, today we take a giant step toward becoming a leader in the field of ocular oncology.”

In 2013, while strategizing for the next 25 years, LVPEI identified six "Centres of Excellence" focusing on specific areas of need and employing the latest knowledge and technology. “The Institute of Eye Cancer was one of our plans for Next 25, and we have been building a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive unit to our existing Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad to consolidate our leadership position.

The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer will provide high-quality, comprehensive treatment for the entire range of ophthalmic tumors in both adults and children. It will emerge as a centre of excellence, offering critically required services to India and the developing countries through research, capacity-building and education programs,” said Dr Gullapalli N Rao – Founder and Chair, L V Prasad Eye Institute.

Since 1963, Operation Eyesight Universal has been working in India, where there is the highest number of new retinoblastoma cases in the world. This life-threatening eye cancer, along with other types of ocular cancer, has largely remained undetected due to lack of awareness and the limited availability of affordable eye cancer management services.

“A third of eye cancer patients are present in India.

It carries the biggest burden of retinoblastoma (a deadly eye cancer in children) globally. At our centre here, we see over 400 patients with eye cancer each year and we have been striving to offer sophisticated and cost effective treatment. In that regard, we have partnered with Operation Eyesight Universal to offer the best to our patients,” said Dr Swathi Kaliki - Consultant, Ocular Oncology Service, L V Prasad Eye Institute.

The Operation Eyesight Universal Institute for Eye Cancer will play a vital role in increasing awareness about eye cancer leading to early diagnosis and treatment. Patients will receive the specialized services they require, and those who cannot afford to pay will be offered treatment free of cost. The centre is expected to treat 500 patients in its first year of operation.

About Operation Eyesight Universal Operation Eyesight Universal is an international development organization dedicated to eliminating avoidable blindness in developing countries.

It was founded in Canada in 1963 by businessman Art Jenkyns, who was inspired by a Canadian physician working in Sompeta, India.

Today, Operation Eyesight Universal is working to restore sight and prevent blindness in India and the African countries of Ghana, Kenya and Zambia. Operation Eyesight invests in sustainable treatment, prevention and community development activities to address specific eye health problems as well as the root causes of blindness. For more information, visit operationeyesight.com.


About the L V Prasad Eye Institute

The L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) was established in 1986-87 at Hyderabad as a not-for-profit, non-government, public-spirited, comprehensive eye care institution. LVPEI is governed by two trusts: the Hyderabad Eye Institute and the Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation.

The Institute is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Blindness and a Global Resource Center for VISION 2020: The Right to Sight initiative. LVPEI has six active arms to its areas of operations: Clinical Services, Education, Research, Rehabilitation and Sight Enhancement Services, Eye Bank, and Public Health and Rural Outreach.