International Humanitarian Dr Gullapalli Rao Wins Prestigious Pisart Award From Lighthouse International
Information:
Leslie Gottlieb
212-821-9760
lgottlieb@lighthouse.org
Pioneer in Providing High Quality Treatment and Training in India
Dr. Gullapalli N Rao, Distinguished Chair of Eye Health at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, India, has been selected as the winner of the 2007 Pisart Vision Award.
The annual award, which will be presented to him on November 15, 2007 at Lighthouse International Headquarters in New York City, will be given to Dr. Rao as an outstanding humanitarian and a respected ophthalmologist. According to Dr Tara Cortes, RN, PhD and President and CEO of Lighthouse International, "We are very honored to recognize Dr. Rao for his outstanding commitment and contribution to the field of vision health care. "In particular, Dr Rao has delivered high quality, low cost, sustainable eye care in India, a population in great need." In India, more than 12 million people are blind, more than half as a result of untreated cataracts. Determined to ameliorate this devastating trend, Dr. Rao resigned his established position at the University of Rochester, New York, to found the L V Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India.
Under his direction the Institute has developed into a state-of-the-art eye hospital and research center, supporting programs for training ophthalmologists, optometrists and other paramedical personnel. Each year, 100,000 patients are treated, and more than 15,000 patients undergo cataract surgery. Dr. Rao has selflessly and tirelessly worked during the past 17 years to build the Institute into a center of world renown.
While his main commitment is to India, Dr. Rao was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. He has also played a key role in the major international eye care campaign, VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, The Global Initiative to Eliminate Avoidable Blindness by the year 2020.
In addition, Dr. Rao has made significant contributions to the understanding of ocular inflammation and in the development of new methods of visual correction. He was the pioneer of a generation of studies on the human corneal endothelium and the importance of its functional reserve in corneal health.
Now in its 28th year, the Pisart Award is partially funded by Mme Georgette Pisart, a longtime Lighthouse volunteer. The prestigious award honors an outstanding leader who has made an extraordinary contribution to the prevention, cure and treatment of severe vision impairment or blindness. The award carries a prize of $40,000 and a replica of the Pisart sculpture. This year Lighthouse International received applications from across the globe. Selection is made by an independent panel of judges who are leaders in various disciplines concerned with vision.
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Founded in 1905, Lighthouse International is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to preserving vision and to providing critically needed health care services to help people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss. Through services, education, research and advocacy, the Lighthouse enables people with low vision and blindness to enjoy safe, independent and productive lives. For more information about vision loss, its causes and what you can do about it, contact Lighthouse International at 1-800-829-0500 or visit www.lighthouse.org