LVPEI Monthly Note: Forty Years
News from our full member LV Prasad Eye Institute
On the 17th of this month, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of our founding. Forty years is a remarkable milestone for any organisation. For LVPEI, this day marked the culmination of a series of extraordinary decisions made four decades ago. The Raos gave up a thriving life and career in the United States to return home; the Prasads extended their support; and the ground-breaking ceremony on 17th October 1986 marked the beginning of this remarkable journey.
This month, we celebrate 40 years of their dreams, determination, and distinction–all in the service of humanity.
LVPEI’s founding vision was simple but profound: to deliver eye care of the highest quality, with compassion, to everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic circumstance or the complexity of their condition. Over four decades, this vision has evolved into a unique model of comprehensive, integrated eye care that has served millions of people. Their blessings and goodwill as well as the inspiration of our founders continue to energise our mission every day.
What sets us apart, I sincerely believe, has been our ability to demonstrate that excellence and equity are not competing priorities; that scientific excellence and compassion can coexist; and that an institution can aspire to the highest global standards while remaining deeply committed to the communities it serves.
What shall the future hold?
Such a milestone is also an opportunity to reflect on the future: what will keep us relevant? What will mark us apart? What must we preserve, and what must we adapt to? I see 5 avenues of action.
- Expanding our definition of impact: LVPEI’s pyramidal model has brought eye care closer to the door-step of millions. Now that we have a model for access, we should ask more profound questions: have we reduced avoidable vision loss? Has our ability to identify and treat eye diseases changed lives? How can we continue to reach out to the as yet unreached? Our impact must be measured not merely by the numbers we serve, but by the difference we make to their lives.
- Expanding excellence: Excellence is a moving frontier. As the number of referral centres within our network expands, so should our ability to manage increasingly complex diseases, answer difficult clinical questions, advance scientific understanding, and develop new standards of care. We must ensure that excellence is not confined to a few centres, but becomes an increasingly shared capability across our network.
- Responsible innovation: Today, we live in a world of unprecedented technological change. Artificial intelligence, digital health and emerging technologies offer enormous possibilities, but innovation must always remain anchored in our founding purpose.We must continually ask: does the technology improve patient safety and outcomes? Does it enhance access, improve efficiency or reduce cost? Does it make quality eye care more affordable and accessible? Our approach should be to embrace innovations thoughtfully, ensuring that technology serves our mission rather than an end in itself.
- Building future leadership: Training and education have been central to LVPEI from our founding. As we move forward, we must invest even more deliberately here – LVPEI must develop leaders who are capable and compassionate, adaptable and scientifically rigorous, those who question established practice-patterns while having the courage to shape new ones. Our future will depend as much on the quality of leaders we nurture as on the institutions and infrastructure we build.
- Creating an enduring legacy: The foundations for longevity are already in place. We must now strengthen them through robust governance processes, collaborative work-spaces, and sound financial practices. Equally important is our ability to preserve and nurture the culture that defines LVPEI. A true measure of institutional success will be our ability to sustain our values, ethos and commitment to service even as the generations of our workforce change.
The fortieth anniversary is a reminder that the current leadership and workforce are the custodians of an extraordinary legacy. Our challenge is to ensure that LVPEI remains as relevant to the needs of the next generation. Therefore, our responsibility is not merely to preserve what we inherited, but to strengthen it, renew it, and pass it on in an even better form to the generations that follow.
Before I sign off, I want to thank you for your continued support to our mission. My gratitude also to all our donors, partners, collaborators, and well-wishers from across the world—this milestone would not have been possible without your faith and belief in LVPEI’s founding philosophy: so that all may see.
-Prashant Garg
Source: LV Prasad Eye Institute