In 1956, Dr. Venkataswamy was appointed head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Government Madurai Medical College, and eye surgeon at the Government Erskine Hospital in Madurai. He held these posts for 20 years and made remarkable contributions to research, clinical service and community programs, as noted below in biographical data.
Upon retiring from Government service in 1976, at the mandatory Government retirement age of 58, he established the Aravind Eye Hospital. Under his leadership, Aravind has become the largest eye care, training and research center in the world. To date more than 800,000 eye surgeries have been performed and more than 8 million patients have benefited from services rendered.
Even more remarkable is that fees from 30% of the patients receiving care subsidize the cost of providing free services to the remaining 70% of the patients. This way of financing the Hospital has enabled Aravind to serve a record number of blind people, using the community’s own financial resources. Dependence on outside sources of funding has been minimized, and is now used only to expand services into new under-served areas and to train staff from other programs.
The recently opened “Lions Aravind Institute for Community Ophthalmology” provides managerial and clinical education for workers from many developing countries. It conveys the techniques, skills and spirit of service which Dr. Venkataswamy embodies in all his work. Aravind’s Aurolab manufacturing unit makes high quality intraocular lenses, suture and other supplies vital for cataract surgery available at a cost most community eye programs can afford.
Biographical data:
Date and place of birth: October 1, 1918 in Vadamalpuram (village 80km from Madurai)
Citizenship: India
Education: American College, Madurai: Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry, 1938
Stanley Medical College, Madras: Medical Doctor, 1944
Government Ophthalmic Hospital, Madras: Doctor of Ophthalmology, 1951
Masters in Ophthalmology, 1955
Military Service: Physician in Indian Army: 1945 – 48.
Chronology of Major Employment:
Head, Department of Ophthalmology, Government Madurai Medical College, and eye surgeon at the Government Erskine Hospital, Madurai: 1956 – 1976.
In 1976, at the mandatory Government retirement age of 58, he retired from these two posts and founded the Aravind Eye Hospital, which provides one of the highest volumes of eye surgery in the world. He has also established a children’s hospital in Madurai, a nutrition center to prevent blinding vitamin A deficiency, and a variety of satellite hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation services. In June 1997, Dr. Venkataswamy retired as Director of the Aravind Eye Hospital and became Chairman.
Major Research, Clinical and Management Accomplishments:
- Demonstrated the link between vitamin A deficiency and childhood blindness.
- Developed and pioneered the concept of eye camps and safe assembly-line techniques, which have become models for blindness prevention and treatment programs worldwide.
- Personally performed over 100,000 successful eye surgeries.
- While at the Government Erskine Hospital, introduced the following for the blind:
- Eye Camp Programme (1960)
- Rehabilitation Center for the Blind (1966)
- Low Vision Aid Clinic (1968)
- Glaucoma Demonstration Center (1968)
- Ophthalmic Assistant Training Program (1973)
- Rural Rehabilitation for the Blind Project (1973)
Recent Awards and Honors:
- Lifetime Service Award from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, 1982
- Honorary Doctorate from University of Illinois, 1985
- Lions Clubs’ Melvin Jones Fellow Award, 1987
- Harold Wit Lectureship, Harvard Divinity School, 1991
- Pisart-Lighthouse for the Blind Award, 1992
- International Blindness Prevention Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 1993
- Susrata Award, Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology, 1997
Publications:
Scores of important articles in vision research and ophthalmology journals as well as dozens of documents and papers in the prevention of blindness field.