Surgeon: Indian ophthalmology is poised for global leadership

BANGALORE, India — With knowledge, expertise and technology, in addition to a growing economy, India is poised to become a global leader in the elimination of needless blindness, said the guest of honor here at the All India Ophthalmological Society meeting.

"I believe Indian ophthalmology is poised very well to become a global leader," said G.N. Rao, MD. "But like everything else in life, if we are going to lead ... it takes certain fundamental changes and a lot of effort to accomplish those tasks."

The opportunity comes in eliminating needless blindness within India, he explained. In order to achieve this goal, Dr. Rao laid out three necessary steps.

First, he said every qualified ophthalmologist should commit to providing quality eye care in a comprehensive manner to the general public.

"That means anybody that actually comes to us seeking our care should get the right kind of attention without compromising quality," Dr. Rao said.

Second, he said there must be major changes in residency and postgraduate education to improve overall education and remove short-term fellowship programs and cataract surgery and laser training programs.

"Whether we like it or not, the truth is the quality of our postgraduate education today is grossly suboptimal," Dr. Rao said. "If our residency training is up to quality, all these short-term training programs will not be necessary."

Lastly, he said members must work to strengthen the All India Ophthalmological Society.

"All of us as members of the All India Ophthalmological Society have a responsibility to make sure this society becomes stronger, that this society actually represents us well and that this society will provide us adequate educational experiences," Dr. Rao said.

He asked all the members attending the meeting to realize their own power to make a difference and to make a personal commitment to change.

"I hope that we choose the path of shifting the paradigm instead of shifting the responsibility to the next generation," Dr. Rao said. "I think that is in our hands."