SightLife, a Seattle-based global health organisation and the world’s leading eye bank has established a corneal tissue cutting centre at The Ramayamma International Eye Bank at LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad to enable the use of improved corneal transplant techniques for better outcomes. In the last three years, SightLife has partnered with 10 Indian eye banks to double the annual number of transplants provided by SightLife partners in India to 5,622. The new centre at LVPEI will provide all of the specialised equipment necessary to offer more effective surgical techniques such as endothelial keratoplasty, a less invasive type of corneal transplant surgery. This type of surgery improves outcomes, reduces risk of rejection and hastens healing.
Washington State Governor, Chris Gregoire inaugurated the first centre in Asia Pacific region. He said, “I applaud this latest success and new relationship with the L V Prasad Eye Institute. SightLife is creating jobs at home in Washington and, together with their international partners, they are making a vital difference for people in need worldwide.”
Dr Gullapalli N Rao, Chairman, LV Prasad Eye Institute said, “The Ramayamma International Eye Bank will be the first centre in the Asia Pacific region to have taken a step in this direction to make the pre-cut donor corneas available to all interested corneal surgeons. This not only reduces the overall cost of the surgery for both the patients and the surgeons but also standardises the procedure.”
In addition to the substantial financial gift by a donor, the new centre also received a donation of corneal-measuring equipment by California-based Micro Medical Devices, and SightLife’s first Global Leadership Partner, the North Carolina Eye Bank, is providing training for the center’s technician at their facility in North Carolina.
EH News Bureau
