Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai is saddened to announce that we are no longer associated with Sri Srinivasa Sankara Nethralaya Trust (SSSN), Tirupati.  Sankara Nethralaya had operated under the Sri Srinivasa Sankara Nethralaya Trust (SSSN), Tirupati established by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) as a not-for-profit charitable trust since 2009 until 30^th Jan 2021.

When Dr. S. S. Badrinath, our founder, had visited Tirupati to receive Darshan he happened to meet the then chairman of TTD at the sanctum sanctorum. This serendipitous meeting gave Sankara Nethralaya the opportunity to serve a divine purpose by providing free eye healthcare at the TTD central hospital.  TTD provided their premises, the SSSN Trust funded the infrastructure necessary for a quality eye care facility, and Sankara Nethralaya’s ophthalmologists, optometrists, anesthetist and non-medical staff served the patients.

During our decade of compassionate service, Sankara Nethralaya examined more than 2 lakh patients, performed Cataract surgery for nearly 21,000 patients and 42,000 patients underwent special investigations / procedures. 

At SSSN, our experienced ophthalmologists provided comprehensive Ophthalmic outpatient services along with inpatient services such as cataract surgeries, special diagnostic / therapeutic treatment such as Fundus Fluorescein Angiography (FFA); Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT); Laser for Posterior segment diseases; and YAG laser, injections, etc. as ophthalmic centre was equipped with two state-of-the-art operation theatres with the latest microscopes, phaco-emulsification systems & autoclaves.  Patients were accommodated in separate wards for male and female patients and received the best care.

Through the SSSN Trust, Sankara Nethralaya carried on the practice of providing free meals and stay at the hospital for patients in need.  This helped many poor patients to seek quality eye healthcare even though they did not have money for food or for a stay in hospital.

Sankara Nethralaya also conducted outreach programs for the people staying in and around Tirupati included rural eye screening camps, screening school children for eye disorders, and Mobile Eye Surgical Unit (MESU) camps.  These screening camps took comprehensive eye healthcare to the doorsteps of those who were unable to travel.  The MESU enabled at least 900 surgeries to be performed throughout the rural and tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh with TTD’s support.

Sankara Nethralaya provided our expertise in Hospital Management System (HMS) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system free of cost and SSSN was benefitted enormously as inpatient and outpatient processes were quicker due to our meticulous record-keeping.

Due to changes in TTD’S policies, the Medical committee proposed merging all Trusts under the “PRANADHANAM Trust”.  Accordingly, Sri Srinivasa Sankara Nethralaya Trust is being dissolved and Sankara Nethralaya has accepted the decision of the board.  We are humbly thankful to the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams Board, Executive Officer, Joint Executive Officers, Chief Medical Officer, Special Medical Officer, and all the employees of TTD for their untiring support all through the years.

Sankara Nethralaya is immensely indebted to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for giving us the opportunity to serve the pilgrims, the employees of TTD and their families, the people of Tirupati and the regions nearby.

We bid farewell with a sense of profound loss to an era of serving humanity under the will of Lord Venkateshwara.  We thank the TTD and people of Tirupati for the love and support our hospital received while serving the community, and enabling us to provide quality ophthalmic healthcare with the divine blessings of Lord Venkateshwara.  We await the day when we will be called on to serve at the Lotus Feet of Lord Venkateshwara again.