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MORE ACADEMY NEWS
Helping the World To See - America's Dr. Raju treats underprivileged in developing nations (2002)
Eye Foundation of America
http://www.eyefoundationofamerica.org/details.php?id=10
 [Morgantown, West Virginia]- Ophthalmologists in rural areas of developing countries are about as rare as the spotting of a
Bengal Tiger. Just as the roar of a tiger announcing his presence
charges the Jungle with excitement, so it is with Dr. V. K. Raju, a
59-year old Indian-born and board certified Ophthalmologist, who
provides healthcare for the underprivileged of the world. In 1979 he
established the Eye Foundation of America to help ensure adequate
treatment of eye diseases. In the United States, Dr. Raju’s
chosen homeland, he operates Monongalia Eye Clinic in Morgantown, West
Virginia and is a clinical professor at West Virginia University.
From his West Virginia base Dr. Raju conducts approximately 25 Corneal
Transplants annually; 300 to 400 cataract surgeries; and handles 7000
to 8000 patient visits. But, it’s his benevolent hobby that
separates him from the pack. Raju has performed over 15,000 volunteer
operations in India and restored vision (74% were non-paid) in his
spare time. For the past two decades, he has assembled medical teams to
trek to developing countries to treat patients in mobile "eye camps" or
clinics. Raju’s “camps” are funded through donations
by philanthropists, and American pharmaceutical companies. Physicians
donate their services without receiving fees. Dr. Raju estimates that
he has spent over a half-million-dollars plus, in sophisticated
equipment, with the objective of providing world -class eye care to the
needy.
After reaching the highest level of training available through the
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh on London, Raju knew that the
United States held great opportunities. When he came to West Virginia
in 1977 patients were forced to leave the area for corneal transplants.
Raju knew that he could offer the area his expertise in intra-ocular
implants and other more common surgeries such as cataract. However,
Raju says he felt a dual-responsibility to establish eye clinics in the
land of the less fortunate that he left behind.
In the United States where patients wear colored contact lenses for
vanity; select from a plethora of fashion-frames, and receive eye-tucks
for youthful appeal, availability for general eye care is taken for
granted. Another drastic difference, Raju explains, is the median age
of patients in the United States compared to India. In America, for
cataract surgery, the average patient age is 70; but in India and
developing nations, Dr. Raju says that he performs cataract surgery on
many more children, due to such causes as infection, vitamin
deficiencies and birth defects. Dr. Raju points out, “Here, I
realize that if I do not perform a surgery, it’s probably because
the patient is seeking another surgeon or getting the procedure done at
a later date. In rural India, if I don't perform the surgery, I know in
my heart that a person, possibly a child, may live a life of
blindness.”
Such was the case with an 8-month old baby in Vijayawada or the "City
of Victory" as it literally translates. It was there that Dr. Raju
celebrated a victory of his own ------- giving an infant the lifelong
gift of sight. The year was 1980, and Raju used the state-of-the-art
Ocutome, an instrument that mechanically sucks out cataracts through a
small incision in the eye, to perform the delicate surgery. Had the
operation not been successfully executed, the baby would have been
totally blind within a year. The Rotary Club of Vijayawada hosted
Raju’s camp, where he reportedly restored sight to over 175
impoverished patients.
Raju volunteers in India two to three times a year. He journeyed back
to his native land In 1984 during the wake of the of the Union Carbide
chemical spill in Bhopal. Initially, Raju feared the tragedy would
leave many people with eye irritations or permanently blind. Though the
toxic catastrophe contributed to some 3,800 deaths, Raju noted that
there was no lasting eye injury for most of the surviving victims.
In 1993 he and his childhood friend, Chandra Sankurathri, established
the Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology, in Kakinada, which is in
Andhra Pradesh, South India. Under Raju’s tutelage over 200
ophthalmologists have been trained in advanced courses. Staff members,
ophthalmologists and general physicians are introduced to the latest
developments in Ophthalmology and eye care. The Institute has provided
service to more than 400,000 patients and 50,000 surgeries have been
performed.
A Good Samaritan, Raju applauds the gallantry of physicians, fire
fighters, and the various industry professionals who pulled together
during the terrorist’s attacks on the World Trade Center. And,
while admittedly, the culture in various lands differ greatly from that
in the United States, Raju feels that sharing ones gift with mankind is
a universal duty. In addition to spending all vacations giving service
in India, Raju has also traveled to Africa, Asia, and other countries.
He donates the surgical fees that he receives from refractive surgery
to The Eye Foundation of America. Some of the funds go to organizations
in America such as eye banks, and to aid groups as diverse as the
American Navajo Indians and the World Trade Center victims.
Copyright © 2002. All rights reserved.
FDA
Seeks Input on Post-LASIK Experiences
The Academy is presenting on LASIK at a
briefing tomorrow of the FDA’s Ophthalmic
Devices Panel. The meeting provides an
opportunity for the FDA to hear from the
public and experts about LASIK satisfaction
issues; several unhappy patients are
expected to testify. The Academy and The
International Society of Refractive Surgery
will be represented by Steven Schallhorn,
MD, former director of cornea service and
refractive surgery at the Naval Medical
Center San Diego and the refractive surgery
program manager for the U.S. Navy, and Peter
McDonnell, MD, director and William Holland
Wilmer professor of ophthalmology at the
Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute. While
multiple studies have documented that LASIK
is safe and effective with an excellent
satisfaction rate and has benefited millions
of patients, regulators are interested in
finding out more about quality-of-life
issues following LASIK surgery. To that end,
the Academy is co-funding and supporting a
new LASIK study with the FDA, NEI and the
American Society of Cataract and Refractive
Surgery.
CMS Meets with
Academy, Others About DMEPOS Quality
Standards
March 1 was the deadline for Medicare
Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics,
Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS)
accreditation for any new physician
practices or new office locations, including
ophthalmologists’ offices that supply
post-cataract eyewear. The Academy strongly
disagrees with the necessity of such
accreditation for any physician practices
and met with CMS on April 16, along with the
AMA and several other health care provider
groups. CMS agreed that the DMEPOS standards
are primarily aimed at larger licensed
retail suppliers, and the coalition was
offered an opportunity to provide
suggestions on how CMS might lessen the
burden for physician suppliers. CMS
stressed, however, that the law that
initiated accreditation for DMEPOS
specifically requires physicians and other
health care providers to be included.
Typically, physician practice accreditation
costs about $3,000, a rate that makes it
untenable for ophthalmology practices.
Existing providers who are currently
Medicare enrolled, have their National
Provider Information number and have an
existing National Supplier Clearinghouse
number, have until September 2009 to become
accredited.
IOM
Highlights Health Care Workforce Challenges
as Baby Boomers Loom
As nearly 80 million baby boomers begin to
become Medicare-eligible, health care
workforce and access issues rise to the top
of policy makers’ agenda, coinciding with
the Academy’s own initiatives. An Institute
of Medicine (IOM) report released this month
points to a shortage of practitioners
serving older people. To improve
ophthalmologists’ ability to keep up with
the growing eye health needs of society, an
Academy-produced white paper series
(member login required) considers the best
practices for high patient throughput in
three practice types:
-
Physicians
with technicians and optometrists
-
Physicians
with technicians
-
Physician
only
The challenge
isn’t unique to ophthalmology.
The IOM study calls for higher pay, more
training and changes in care delivery to
avert a crisis.
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