Established in 1987, Shantilal Shanghvi Cornea Institute at the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad set a world record for highest number of corneal transplants by any institution with over 50,000 transplants.
Published Sep 13, 2024 | 6:22 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 26, 2024 | 2:21 PM
Hyderabad's LVPEI sets world record in corneal transplants
Shantilal Shanghvi Cornea Institute at the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad has set a world record for the highest number of corneal transplants performed by any institution globally. Since its establishment in 1987, the institute has completed over 50,000 corneal transplants.
In a statement released on Thursday, 12 September, the institute credited this remarkable achievement to its dedicated team of doctors, staff, and the unwavering support from individuals worldwide who generously contributed their resources, time, and expertise.
The institute also emphasised that this milestone would not have been possible without the generosity of cornea donor families, who, even in their moments of grief, chose to give the gift of sight.
LVPEI’s eye bank network, which spans across the country’s east and south, includes four major eye banks: the Ramayamma International Eye Bank in Hyderabad, the Mohsin Eye Bank in Visakhapatnam, the Drushti Daan Eye Bank in Bhubaneswar, and the TKEB in Vijayawada. Together, these banks receive over 12,000 corneal donations annually.
Since its inception in 1989, the Ramayamma International Eye Bank has processed more than 510,000 vials of corneal preservation medium and harvested 129,500 corneas.
Dr Gullapalli N Rao, Founding Chairman of LVPEI in a statement pointed out the vast gap between the demand and supply of corneal transplants in India. “India has the largest number of corneal blindness cases globally, but we are not equipped to meet the growing demand for transplants. We need at least 100,000 corneal transplants annually, but the country is only performing 30,000,” said Dr Rao.
Reflecting on the early days of the institute, Dr Rao said, “When we started in 1987, only 3,000 corneal transplants were being conducted across the country, with a high failure rate due to poor-quality donor corneas, limited skilled transplant surgeons, and inadequate follow-up care.”
In the past 35 years, the Ramayamma International Eye Bank has collected 1.2 lakh corneas—the highest in the Asia-Pacific region. LVPEI has performed 50,000 corneal transplants, a global record for any single institute. Dr. Rao emphasised that with an investment of ₹50 crore, India could establish 50 eye banks, train 500 active corneal transplant surgeons, and create a network of 500 hospitals with corneal retrieval programs to meet the country’s needs.
Dr Prashant Garg, Executive Chairman of LVPEI, in the statement emphasised the unique challenges faced by developing countries. “In rural areas, corneal blindness is often caused by injuries sustained during farming or manual labor. Unfortunately, many people resort to self-remedies instead of seeking professional care, leading to preventable blindness. Corneal infections and injuries remain significant causes of vision loss,” Dr Garg explained.
He also noted that consanguineous marriages in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, as well as poorly performed cataract surgeries, contribute to corneal problems in the region.
Dr. Pravin Vaddavalli, Director of the Shantilal Shanghvi Cornea Institute, reiterated the institute’s mission to provide effective treatment for corneal diseases. “The focus will remain on making appropriate treatments available for corneal-related vision problems,” he said, emphasising on the institute’s ongoing commitment to advancing eye care.
(Edited by Neena)
