Dr. Rajeswari Mahadevan, affectionately known as Dr. Raji, remains a distinguished name in the field of contact lens practice in India. With a remarkable career spanning over two decades, she gained international recognition for her pioneering contributions to contact lens innovations and specialty practices in the country. In 2020, Sankara Nethralaya established the “Dr. Rajeswari Mahadevan Memorial Contact Lens Oration” on her birthday, September 9.

The 5th Dr. Rajeswari Mahadevan Memorial Scientific Session was held on August 17th and 18th, 2024. The event started with an online quiz competition designed for optometry undergraduates. The online quiz contest saw enthusiastic participation from around 14 optometry colleges, with students actively engaging in the competition. The quiz was conducted by Ms. Varsa Harinya, Mr. Krishna Shah, Mr. Ronit Dutta, and CL postgraduate and fellowship students Mr. Sayak and Mr. Mrityunjoy.

The following day keynote speeches and research presentations focused on contact lenses were featured, with more than 150 registrations from optometry students, faculty, and contact lens practitioners from various parts of the country. Dr. Girish Shiva Rao, President and Executive Medical Director of the Medical Research Foundation and Dr. N. Anuradha, Principal of Elite School of Optometry shared fond memories of Dr. Raji. This year, the session was graced by the presence of Ms. Lakshmi Shinde, CEO of the Optometry Confederation of India, who delivered the keynote address on “Contact Lens Fitting Approach in Ectatic Cornea.” This was followed by a case-based learning session by the SN CL Team, showcasing various types of contact lens fittings for ectatic cornea, complemented by impressive videos and clinical images presented by Ms. Akshaya Balakrishnan, Mr. Ronit Dutta, and Ms. S. Karpagavalli.

The scientific session featured 12 oral presentations from different optometry colleges, which were evaluated by Ms. Lakshmi Shinde and Dr. Rashima Asokan, Head of Occupational Optometry Services at Sankara Nethralaya.

New contests introduced this year, such as the E-poster and Poster Slam Contest on “What Best I Did for My Patient,” were well received by participants. The judging panel was composed of esteemed professionals including Mr. Yeshwant Saoji, Mr. Prasad Sawanth, and Dr. Rashima Asokan.

An interactive session on “Various Contact Lens Options for Myopia Control,” presented by Ms. S. Madhumathi, was followed by a brief talk on Orthokeratology by Ms. Manju, along with a live demonstration of Ortho-K lenses by Ms. Madhumathi, Ms. Manju, Mr. Krishna Shah, and Ms. Varsa Harinya. The session concluded with insightful presentations on Orthokeratology and Scleral Lenses by V Square Medi Solutions and Global OK Vision.

The event also honored outstanding participants with several awards:

• Best Oral Presentation: Ms. Sindhu Vaishnavi from The Sankara Nethralaya Academy (TSNA) and Ms. P. V. Gayathri from SRM Medical College.
• Best Scientific E-Poster: Ms. Diksha Rathi from The Sankara Nethralaya Academy.
• Best Scientific Photography: Mr. Sanjay Ghoia and Mr. Kamalesh from Sankara College of Optometry.
• Best Poster Slam Winner: Mr. Manish Bhagat, Consultant Optometrist, LVPEI.
• Scientific Quiz Winner: Vidyasagar School of Optometry and Vision Science, Kolkata.
• Rapid Fire Quiz Winner: Mr. Sunny Kant from The Sankara Nethralaya Academy.
• Overall, the session was met with high appreciation, sparking numerous stimulating discussions and receiving positive feedback from delegates. It was truly an inspiring and productive event, befitting the legacy of Dr. Raji.