It was yet another glorious feather in the proud cap of Dr VV. Jaichandran, Sankara Nethralaya’s senior ophthalmic anesthesiologist for whom winning accolades and honours at every national and international meet in his niche field that he attends has become a habit. An insightful talk titled ‘Retained Visual Sensations during Eye surgery’ delivered by him won great reviews and appreciation by the distinguished global audience at the 5th World Congress of Ophthalmic Anesthesia (WCOA), held at Jakarta, Indonesia on the 7th & 8th of February 2020. It was a glorious moment for a man who has been actively innovating newer techniques for both teaching and practicing regional blocks, when his E-Poster titled ‘Mannequin based training of ophthalmic anesthesia’ was adjudged as the ‘First Runner up’, at the prestigious international meet. It was a glorious hat-trick for the expert whose well researched papers had won the ‘Best Free Paper’ award at the 3rd WCOA in year 2012 at Turkey and the 1st and 2nd best free paper awards at the 4th WCOA held at Chennai in year 2016.
It was a wonderful example of the wheel having gone a full circle when Dr VV.Jaichandran who as a pioneer and champion of ophthalmic anesthesia in the country had contributed greatly to its recognition and growth as a critical sub specialty, was elected unopposed as the ‘International President of the World Congress of Ophthalmic Anesthesia’ (WCOA), the global body and umbrella organization engaged in the development, research, exchange of best practices and administration of this field, for the period 2020-24. It was a most befitting acknowledgment and honour coming in a year considered significant for the field of ophthalmology for the man who had been in the forefront of making the dream and vision of living legend Dr SS.Badrinath, to find a rightful and well deserved place for ophthalmic anesthesia and developing it further, a reality. A great moment for the man who pioneered the revolutionary ophthalmic anesthesia simulator and was the Chief Editor of a first of its kind textbook on the niche topic titled ‘Textbook in Ophthalmic Anesthesia’ with a ‘Foreword’ by Dr SS.Badrinath launched in year 2017 and a practitioner of anesthesiology who was passionately involved in forming a professional national body for ophthalmic anesthesiologists.
It is a great honour for an institution which is credited with having sown the seeds for the recognition and growth of ophthalmic anesthesia as a critical sub-specialty through the contributions of its veterans like Dr VG Appukutty and Dr Ian Sundararajan, that its senior anesthesiologist has been honoured with the highest position in the world of Ophthalmic Anaesthesia.
The Sankara Nethralaya family expresses its hearty Congratulations to Dr VV.Jaichandran its champion and pioneering anesthesiologist and wishes him a glorious and most productive innings as World President of the ‘World Congress of Ophthalmic Anaesthelogists’ (WCOA) the most coveted professional body. We are highly proud of you Doctor!!