Puducherry Ophthalmologists Win Chang-Crandall Award 2026

Global Honour for Aravind Eye Care’s Cataract Specialists

Two senior ophthalmologists from Puducherry — Dr Haripriya Aravind and Dr R Venkatesh — have been selected for the Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award for 2026. The recognition celebrates their sustained contributions to reducing cataract-related blindness and improving access to affordable surgical eye care.

Recognition of Humanitarian Excellence

Instituted by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation , the award honours global leadership in humanitarian cataract care. It carries a $100,000 grant , which both doctors have pledged to reinvest into the Aravind Eye Care System to expand community-oriented programmes.

Professional Contributions

Dr Haripriya Aravind leads cataract and intraocular lens (IOL) services. Her clinical work centres on optimising surgical outcomes within high-volume settings, reflecting Aravind’s emphasis on scale, precision, and efficiency.

Dr R Venkatesh, chief medical officer, has specialised extensively in manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) — a cost-effective technique widely adopted in resource-constrained environments. His career spans surgical outreach, training, and quality assurance.

Outreach and System-Level Impact

Dr Venkatesh played a central role in strengthening Aravind’s Puducherry operations after the facility’s establishment. Both awardees have advanced sustainable eye care delivery models that integrate affordability with clinical excellence. Their work addresses cataract, the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness.

Global Significance

The honour reflects international acknowledgement of India’s innovations in public health ophthalmology. By combining high surgical volumes with low-cost care, Aravind’s model has influenced eye care strategies worldwide.

Exam-Focused Points

• Cataract = leading cause of global blindness .

• Treatment: surgical lens replacement .

• MSICS widely used in low-cost, high-volume care.

• Chang-Crandall Award instituted in 2017 .

• Aravind Eye Care = pioneering affordable eye care system .