April 2016
Sankara Nethralaya pays homage to Saint Sathya Sai Baba
Aradhana of the highly revered and globally adored spiritual leader and humanist par excellence Sathya Sai Baba whose life and message continue to inspire millions of people to lead more purposeful lives through his timeless and universal teachings, was observed at Sankara Nethralaya with fervour and spirit of service by employees, volunteers and devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba, amidst chanting of Bhajans and Keerthans on 25th April 2016.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s contribution to the society through his innumerable teachings and welfare measures such as establishing higher educational institutions and universities, health care projects including super specialty hospitals at Puttaparthi, White Field amongst many other places, Pure drinking water projects to over 700 villages in and around Puttaparthi, stand remarkably apart showing the undaunted spirit of the noblest souls that humanity has ever seen.
An Auspicious Prelude to the Inaugural of a State-of the Art Facility
The ‘Temple of the Eye’ rose gloriously to Acharya’s call to serve the visually impaired with a missionary spirit, by stretching its wings of service over the erstwhile Wellingdon hospital premises, paving way for the Sri A. Sivasailam Block, a State of the Art facility, named after one of its oldest supporters and friends, to render tertiary Ophthalmic care to meet the ever increasing demand for the same.
At a ceremonial function, under the auspices of the Junior Pontiff of Kanchi Mutt, Sri Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal amidst chanting of Vedas, the couple, Dr. Prema Padmanabhan, Director – Special projects and Sri Padmanbhan performed the Ganapathi, Navagraha and Vastu Homams on Thursday, 21st April 2016.
Blessing the employees and participants at the function, the Acharya remarked that the globally recognised institution was doing subtle “Manava Seva” in a dharmic manner and shall continue to do so with dynamism and never dying spirit. He praised Sankara Nethralaya for its pioneering research, imparting training and education and leading the country with many firsts.
Chief Donors to the Sri A. Sivasailam Block, distinguished Smt Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited and her family took part in the ceremony with great enthusiasm.
The event witnessed honouring of project members including contractors and employees for their valuable contribution.
The eye care pioneer launches a revolutionary new process aimed at perfect vision!
While vision impairments causing partial or total blindness are easily perceptible, minor vision anomalies often go unnoticed and undiagnosed leading to serious issues in the course of time. A typical case of such an anomaly is poor ‘Binocular Vision’ which impedes the capacity of the left and right eyes to co-ordinate in perceiving images and sending co-ordinated messages to the brain; accommodation difficulties and eye movement disorders are other common vision anomalies. Such anomalies manifest themselves in the form of eyestrain, blurred vision, frequent headaches, double vision and tired eyes. As an institution committed to a holistic approach to healthy vision and eye care Sankara Nethralaya looks beyond conventional eye care; initiatives like the ‘Low Vision Clinic’ and the ‘Neuro-Optometry Clinic’ are good examples of this approach. The latest endeavour in this direction is providing its vast domain expertise to Digital Works a software company in the development of TRYe (Train Your eyes) a user friendly, versatile vision therapy software that addresses vision anomalies effectively. The software was formally launched at a simple function held at the Vision Therapy Clinic at the Sankara Nethralaya Main by Dr.SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus and Dr.Vasanthi Badrinath, Director Clinical Services, Sri Nathella Sampathu Clinical Laboratory, Sankara Nethralaya. Ms. Jameel Rizwana Hussaindeen, Incharge – Binocular Vision Clinic and Lecturer at the Elite School of Optometry, extended a warm welcome to the gathering assembled and demonstrated the software, she explained the features and purpose of the software in detail and clarified their queries.
About TRYe
• Train Your Eyes (TRYe) is a new Indigenous Vision Therapy Software Product designed and developed by Digital Works Technologies Private Ltd., using the domain expertise of Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai.
• Developed on latest technology platforms with the ability to run on PC, Laptops, Mobile & Tablets
• Designed for clinic based and home based vision therapy
What is Unique about TRYe?
1. Has normative reference data specific to Indian patients
2.Tested on a large set of patients
3. Training provided for the eye care practitioners by expert Binocular vision practitioners prior to the delivery of TRYe
4. Simple training modules specific for child and adult
5. Compatible with all installation platforms
6. Very easy to handle by any tech-novice patient
7. Easy follow-up for the practitioner
TRYe- Features
The role of TRYe assumes great relevance as recent global and Indian statistics indicate an alarmingly high prevalence of about 30% of binocular vision anomalies among school children and adults who have highly demanding near visual tasks. These binocular vision anomalies reflect poor eye muscle co-ordination and cause a lot of visual discomfort ranging from eyestrain, headache and double vision resulting in aversion to near work.
While vision therapy (eye exercises) has proven to be efficacious in improving the eye muscle coordination, conventional vision therapy options are becoming obsolete and monotonous leading to the need for innovative vision therapy solutions. Presently available vision therapy software too have their limitations in terms of lacking in indigenous normative data, not so user friendly interface, difficulties with patient follow-up, lack of technical support besides being expensive.
TRYe overcomes these limitations and provides practitioners and patients a friendly tool that addresses a variety of accommodation and binocular vision dysfunctions. It also has the significant advantage of having diagnostic, therapeutic and follow-up tool, all in one package.
To know more about this exciting vision care software please contact
Jameel Rizwana Hussaindeen M.phil Opt, FCOVD-I, FAAO
Incharge Binocular Vision Clinic
Sankara Nethralaya, A Unit of Medical Research Foundation,
Chennai- 600 006, India
Email: rizwana@snmail.org
Station Director of the Madras Atomic Power Station pays glowing tributes to the Mobile Eye Surgical Team
The Sri V.D. Swami auditorium at the Sankara Nethralaya (Main) campus on college road came live to a lot of jubilation, the air was filled with passionate, adulatory observations on the institution’s revolutionary community ophthalmology initiative for creating a good impact at a recent camp, by senior officials of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) Kalpakkam, on the 6th of April 2016. The occasion was the felicitation and honouring of the team operating the ‘Mobile Eye Surgical Unit,’ Sankara Nethralaya’s revolutionary and ‘One of its kind in Asia’ operation theatre on wheels, which had performed a high number of Cataract surgeries, benefiting villagers surrounding the Kalpakkam plant, as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the Power Station.
Welcoming the audience Dr P.S.Rajesh head of the MESU complimented his teammatesfor their wonderful team work and involvement which he described as a shining example of the ‘Sankara Nethralaya Spirit’. Speaking on an emotional note Chief Guest Shri Ravi Satyanarayana the Station Director of facility expressed that the selfless spirit, concern and hard work demonstrated by the MESU team filled him with an unshakeable belief and faith that ‘India will grow and prosper’ with its future in the hands of such spirited and committed young men. He described the MESU camp at Kalpakkam as a service to the ‘Poorest of the poor’. Sharing his views Shri K.Suresh, Superintendent Quality Assurance and Convenor CSR Committee, MAPS underlined that the MESU camp helped in endearing his institution with the local community and enhanced its image as a humane institution going beyond atomic power generation and management of energy. Making his observation that the joy of revived vision was a heavenly experience which cannot be described in words but can only be experienced, he explained that it is this joy that the MESU team has brought into the lives of the poor visually impaired living in the neighbouring villages.
The event witnessed the honouring of every member of the MESU team comprising of camp in-charge, operation theatre staff, maintenance staff, IT support staff, nurses, anaesthetists, Fellows, drivers of the unit and Consultants, with a plaque by the Chief Guest Shri Ravi Satyanarayana, Station Director, Madras Atomic Power Station.
Introducing the Chief Guest of the day as the very epitome of the saying ‘Simple Living High Thinking’ Dr.KS.Vasan, Managing Director, Sankara Nethralaya described the MAPS as a great example of India’s technological advancement and self reliance.
Thanking the senior officials of the MAPS and the Korean Consul General to Chennai for gracing the occasion Dr. SS.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya, observed that it was most heartening to note that in a fast paced, self seeking world where no one had any time for anyone other than himself, the MAPS and its officials have spent their time and resources in conducting such a noble camp and have showered their love and affection on the MESU team, their partner in service. He had a high word of praise for the members of the MESU team who have stayed away from their families for weeks together and put in hard, sincere work from morning to evening to make the screening/surgical camp a great success. He hoped that the adulation and love and affection showered on the MESU team by the MAPS officials would trigger a positive vibration among all the staff members assembled on the occasion and inculcate a spirit of service and sacrifice in them. The emotionally charged function closed with a spirited Vote of Thanks by Dr.Gajendra Kumar Varma a Consultant serving at the MESU.