June 2017
The pioneer and leader in children’s eye screening reiterates its premium position with a path breaking study!
The Elite School of Optometry (ESO) has over the years carved a niche for itself as a pioneer and leader in the field of children’s eye screening, while childhood is the best stage for early detection and timely treatment of ophthalmic issues, such screening comes with its own challenges as children may not be as communicative on their symptoms as adults and may often be unaware of the same given their playfulness. The ESO can take pride in developing specific protocols that enhance the quality of children eye screening in terms of better eliciting of symptoms, expertise in conducting eye screening of children suffering from speech/hearing impairment and thoughtful measures like providing break proof glasses for a playful segment who are always on the run, providing glasses with attractive colors and motifs that attract children, thereby increasing usage of spectacles in a reluctant group. The ESO was chosen by ‘ORBIS International’, the worldwide eye care and relief body as its partner in service in conducting free eye screening camps for school children of government schools in rural Tamil Nadu and holds its pride of place in the ‘Limca Book of Records’ for screening the highest number of children in a single day.
Now a high level study and findings on the ocular health of this segment by Ms Rizwana Jameel Husaindeen, Faculty member, Elite School of Optometry (ESO) has been awarded with a PhD for its ground breaking findings in the area of ‘binocular vision care’. The study brings out the disturbingly high prevalence of non-strabismic binocular vision anomalies among school children in rural and urban Tamil Nadu. The findings of the study have drawn a high level of interest owing to their broad spectrum coverage ranging from the difference in the current prevalence and existing statistics of such visual morbidity, break up of specific issues, impact of the ailment on the academic performance of the child, better testing methodologies, effective steps to combat such morbidity, better models of study and analysis. The study titled ‘Binocular Vision Anomalies and Normative Data (BAND) of Binocular Vision Parameters among School Children between 7 and 17 Years of Age In Rural and Urban Tamil Nadu’ was conducted under the guidance of Dr Krishna Kumar R Principal, Elite School of Optometry (Supervisor) and Co-supervisors Dr. Ronnie Jacob George, Director Research, Vision Research Foundation, Senior Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Sankara Nethralaya, Dr. Meenakshi S, Director Academics, Senior Consultant, Pediatric Ophthalmology Department, Sankara Nethralaya, Dr Suman Kapur, Senior Professor and Dean, Universitywide, Head – Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus and presented on 19th June 2017 at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. The external examiner of the thesis was Prof B R Shamanna, Professor, School of Medical Sciences, University of Hyderabad.
Sankara Nethralaya family congratulates Dr.Rizwana on her being awarded a Doctorate by a renowned academic body and expresses its deep appreciation for her commendable research on a subject not studied in such detail in the past and its critical findings which promise to open new vistas in understanding and treating visual morbidities in this category among a sensitive and vulnerable age group. A significant step indeed in the institution’s march towards total eradication of blindness!
The Doctorate to Ms Rizwana assumes special significance on another note too! it gives the Elite School of Optometry the pride of being the only optometry institution in the nation with the distinction of having 7 of its faculty members honoured with Doctorates. The entire Sankara Nethralaya family expresses its high appreciation of this excellent exhibition of knowledge and subject matter expertise by members of the ESO and salutes the rare achievement of its academic arm.
Landmark collaboration between nation’s premier optometry institution and a highly respected seat of academics and research promises to take Optometry to its next level
The 7th of June 2017 marked a giant stride for the art and science of optometry, the critical study of light and refraction and its impact on vision, as the Shanmugha Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy, Thanjavur the premium arts and technology institution popularly known as SASTRA and the Elite School of Optometry (ESO) the academic arm of Sankara Nethralaya credited as the pioneer and exclusive research and study center for this niche field, entered into an important academic collaboration under which the two institutions would be offering the 4 year Bachelor in Optometry course and two year Master in Optometry courses jointly. The collaboration could be described as the culmination of an MoU between the institutions to exchange knowledge, further joint research, study and engage in other academic endeavors, entered back in year 2008. As both the academic partners were keen on offering the optometry courses as a joint program, the proposal was taken as the 9th agenda point at the Academic Council Meeting held at the SASTRA University campus at Thanjavur on the date mentioned above and was approved unanimously by the ACM committee to go ahead with the programmes from this academic year.
Dr. Meenakshi S, Director,Academics, Dr. Krishna Kumar R, Principal, ESO and Ms. Anuradha, Lecturer, ESO, represented Sankara Nethralaya at the meeting under the guidance of Dr. S.S.Badrinath, Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya, Mr V. Vaidyanathan, Board member, ESO, Dr. K.S. Vasan, MD, Dr. G.S.Rao, Medical Director and Ms.Akila Ganesan, Director Administration, Sankara Nethralaya. As per the understanding finalized between the two institutions, students pursuing their undergraduate program would spend the first two years of their program at SASTRA and the remaining 2 years at the Elite School of Optometry.
The collaboration marks the coming together of two institutions with a common passion for excellence in academics, adherence to stringent quality parameters, constant innovation, research and high ethical standards and would facilitate a synergy of their areas of strength and expertise which would translate into a greater learning experience and exposure for the students and a deeper study of the science of Optometry. The collaboration promises to fulfill the dream of Dr. S.S.Badrinath to take Optometry to its next level in the country by enhancing its scope and impact which would enable technology driven health care, accessible and affordable to the common man.
A large scale study and its critical findings on the detrimental impact of ultraviolet rays on the human eye win high recognition for ESO faculty member
While most of us recommend the wearing of Sunglasses when venturing out on a sunny day to reduce the brightness of the Sun’s rays entering the eye to tolerable limits and to help ease the strain caused to the eyes, we are blissfully oblivious to the fact that unprotected, direct exposure of the eye to ultra violet rays from the Sun is not just a matter of discomfort or irritation but something that has more deeper and critical consequences, as a recent study by the Elite School of Optometry establishes.
A first of its kind, large scale and in-depth study by Ms Rashima Asokan, faculty member, Elite School of Optometry, on the detrimental impact of UV rays on the human eye, conducted as a part of the ‘Chennai Eye Disease Incidence Study’ proved to be a startling revelation on the damage that exposure to a high degree of sunlight can cause to the human eye. The study titled ‘Quantification of Ocular Ultraviolet-B Radiation Exposure in a South Indian Population and its Association with Ocular Surface Disorders, Pseudoexfoliation, Cataract and Age-related Macular Degeneration’ also throws light on an interesting and hitherto unknown syndrome, the difference in lifetime ocular UV exposure between the rural and urban populations of the country, a key factor in assessing the degree of difference in the prevalence of diseases such as pterygium, pseudoexfoliation, spheroidal degeneration, cataract and age related macular degeneration among the rural and urban populations. The study recommends that something as simple as wearing spectacles/sunglasses can act as an effective precautionary and preventive measure against the damage caused by the UV rays and provide a safeguard against the above mentioned ailments, it also paves way for future research initiatives and hospital based studies on UV exposure levels among those suffering from the above ailments and those not affected by the same, creating online UV exposure assessment tools and so on.
The findings of the study conducted under the supervision of Dr Ronnie George (Director Research, Vision Research Foundation, Senior Consultant, Glaucoma Services, Sankara Nethralaya) and Co-supervisor: Dr Suman Kapur, Senior Professor and Dean (University-wide) Head – Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus was presented on 15th June 2017, at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, Hyderabad Campus. Dr Padmaja Kumari Rani, Senior Consultant, Smt. Kanuri Santhamma Centre for Vitreo Retinal diseases, Kallam Anji Reddy campus, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad was the external examiner to the presentation. The direct and immediate impact of the findings of the study drew a high level of appreciation by the external reviewers and its far reaching results were published in highly prestigious, peer reviewed journals.
Sankara Nethralaya expresses its high appreciation to Ms Rashima Asokan for her painstaking effort towards scientifically establishing the harmful impact of the Sun’s UV rays on the human eye and suggesting precautions against the same, a most appropriate and meaningful exercise in a tropical country where the Sun beats down with all its brightness almost all through the year and conveys its hearty Congratulations!! on being honoured with a doctorate for her most relevant findings.