- By Ajay Ghosh
MORGANTOWN, WV (TIP): “Every child deserves to see the world with clarity and purpose. Let’s join hands to eradicate childhood blindness and unlock a brighter future for generations to come,” says Dr. Vadrevu K. Raju, a world-renowned ophthalmologist, philanthropist, and the founder of the Eye Foundation of America (EFA).
In response to this noble call, Grant Thornton, The Rotary Club District – 311 (Delhi) in collaboration with the Young Rotarians, who are truly committed, and the Gautami Institute have joined hands with the Eye Foundation of America to organize a major Fundraiser with the theme, “Hope for Tomorrow” at the prestigious India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on Friday, January 31, 2025.
Among the many initiatives Dr. Raju has undertaken, the upcoming Fundraiser in New Delhi is a pan-India Roll Out Program with the objective of raising $500,000, which will be matched by the Eye Foundation of America. The funds raised will be utilized towards establishing 100 ROP screening centers across India; Training 500 healthcare professionals in ROP screening and treatment; and, Treating 10,000 ROP-affected babies annually across India.
Lord Rami Ranger, a well-known philanthropist, and successful businessman from the United Kingdom, who will be the Chief Guest at the Fundraiser, while echoing the mission of EFA says, “Childhood blindness is a solvable problem, but it requires our collective action.” According to Lord Ranger, a Board Member of the Eye Foundation of America and Eye Foundation of UK, who has been honoured by Her Majesty the Queen on Eight occasions for his Business leadership in and for community services, “Together, we can ensure that every child has access to quality eye care and a chance to reach their full potential.”
Dr. Raju, a physician with a noble vision, who has dedicated his entire life to helping make “the world where every child can see, learn, and thrive without the shadows of blindness,” while referring to scientific studies says, “Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) affects 200,000 premature babies in India annually, leading to irreversible blindness.”
According to the South Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, of the 3.5 million premature babies born in India, nearly one in six (600,000) babies are born less than 32 weeks gestational age. Estimating that 40% of them receive neonatal care and 80% of them survive, over 200,000 chilkdren are at risk for developing Retinopathy of Prematurity.
Dr. Raju, who has lived in England and the USA longer than in India, has visited India more than 140 times since 1977. Each visit is a working vacation to combat avoidable blindness among Indians, especially children. He founded “Eye Foundation of America” in 1979, which is active in India and 31 other developing countries across the globe.
A Faculty of the Department of Ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Raju believes that Retinopathy can cause blindness; however, early detection and treatment can prevent blindness in up to 90% of cases. The EFA is now a global organization, whose noble initiatives have resulted in screening and treating a total of over 3.5+ million people in addition to one million school children, and the mission continues to impact many more every day around the world. EFA has performed hundreds of thousands of surgeries, and trained hundreds of eye care professionals to join in the global fight against preventable blindness.
Born in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, India, Dr. V.K. Raju is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at West Virginia University, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Director of the International Ocular Surface Society, Director of the Ocular Surface Research and Education Foundation, Chairman of Goutami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry and is the President and Founder of the Eye Foundation of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to realizing a world without childhood blindness. Dr. Raju earned his medical degree from Andhra University and completed an ophthalmology residency and fellowship at the Royal Eye Group of Hospitals in London.
For the past four decades, Dr. Raju and the EFA have been actively and tirelessly on a crusade to eliminate avoidable blindness in areas plagued by poverty and poor access to medical care. The EFA’s mission is to eliminate avoidable blindness under the guiding principles of service, teaching, and research.
This is accomplished through eye camps and brick-and-mortar hospitals in developing countries, training of medical personnel to serve the needy, and educating the population at large on preventative eye care and healthy lifestyle choices. With adequate education, patients are empowered to take charge of their lives and their own health and prevent further deleterious consequences of their poor lifestyle choices, while sharing this knowledge with their friends and families.
The public is educated on eye care and injury prevention, and local teachers are taught how to screen for early eye problems in children. Patients, their families, and the greater community benefit from preventative medical care, free procedures, and access to education.
When education and preventative measures are insufficient, medical and surgical interventions are performed. With the aim of permanently providing world-class state-of-the art services to populations with poor access to health care, the EFA helped to build 2 hospitals in rural India: the Srikiran Eye Institute and the Goutami Eye Institute.
With all of Dr. Raju’s momentous achievements, he has also ensured that his life’s work and vision are self-sustaining. The Goutami Institute, which has been honoured as the Best Eye Hospital in the state of Andhra Pradesh by the state Government continues to add new buildings, more staff and equipment, and mobile clinics to meet the growing demand for treatment for children and adults.
The Goutami Institute has a wing dedicated exclusively for children, and the EFA has future plans to build a service and research eye hospital in India where no child will be denied treatment and children from around the world can come to receive services. Dr. Raju and the EFA are also committed to finding new cures for age-old eye disease in children.
“I feel so incredibly thankful for my personal and professional gifts, and I make great efforts to share those gifts with those in need of my services,” says Dr. Raju. “I am ever grateful to India for giving me stellar medical education for almost free. The work of EFA and the Goutami Eye institute wouldn’t be possible without the support of our Board Members, who go beyond to enhance and help realize our mission to make the world free of blindness.”
Dr. Raju has generously and freely given his own time, money, and medical expertise to help the less fortunate for the past several decades. Dr. Raju’s over 40 years of noble work have helped and is continuing to restore vision to millions in India and abroad. Never too tired to give his best for preventing, caring for, and sustaining the vision of the visually impaired, Dr. Raju says, “Our work is only just beginning.”
Dr. Raju says childhood blindness has far-reaching consequences. 75% of blind children never attend school. Blindness reduces employability by 50%. Blindness increases poverty and social isolation. Urging everyone to be part of this noble mission, Dr. Raju says, “Together, Let Us Illuminate Young Lives and Create A World Without Childhood Blindness. Your Support Can: Change Lives, Restore Vision, And Empower Futures. Now, Let’s All Join the Movement; Be Part of Something Extraordinary.” For more information, please contact
info@eyefoundationofamerica.org
