It was a proud moment for the entire Optometry community, when Dr. Viswanathan S. HOD, Optometry and Optical services, Sankara Nethralaya successfully defended his thesis on “Near work induced transient myopia (NITM) among Indian subjects” before a panel of expert reviewers at the Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. This collaborative work between Anglia Ruskin University and the Elite school of Optometry, Sankara Nethralaya was carried out at the Srimathi Sundari Subramanian Department of Visual psychophysics, where patients from Sankara Nethralaya suffering from myopia were subjected to detailed assessment and relevant clinical evaluation. Dr. Peter Allen, Professor of Optometry and Vision Science at Anglia Ruskin University and Dr. Krishna Kumar R, Principal ESO served as the supervisors for this research work.

The key findings of his research suggest that Indian myopic eyes have a swifter response in relaxing, which is faster than the time taken for relaxing of myopic eyes among other ethnicities, according to existing data. This phenomenon is argued as one of the possible mechanisms protecting the Indian eye from the Myopia epidemic that is spreading across the globe. This unique research finding of Dr.Viswanathan has been awarded a PhD degree and he is the second ESO graduate to be awarded with a PhD under the aegis of the Anglia Ruskin University. His study has also opened up avenues for collaborative initiatives between the two countries. Dr. Viswanathan’s research has been well received and recognized.

Join us in extending your hearty Congratulations to Dr.Viswanathan!