The effect of COVID-19 on global ophthalmology

Will Dean, PhD, FRCOphth, MEd is a Consultant Ophthalmologist in Cheltenham, UK; Clinical Research Fellow, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; and Honorary Associate Professor, University of Cape Town. He studied medicine in Leicester UK, and completed a Masters in Surgical Education at Imperial College London. He recently achieved a PhD in simulated ophthalmic surgical education in sub-Saharan Africa through the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

Professor GVS Murthy is the Vice-President (South), Public Health Foundation of India & Director, Indian Institute of Public Health, Hyderabad. He is also Professor, Public Health Eye Care & Disability at LSHTM, London. He established the first Department of Community Ophthalmology at AIIMS, New Delhi and later helped in setting up the South Asia Centre for Disability Inclusive Development, Hyderabad. He completed his MBBS from Guntur Medical College in 1979, MD from AIIMS, New Delhi in 1985 and MSc (Community Eye Health) from Institute of Ophthalmology, University College of London, UK. He worked as Medical Officer, WHO, Geneva on the Childhood Blindness Program and as M&E Consultant with UNAIDS South Asia earlier. Currently he is Technical Advisor to CBM, India, and Research Advisor to Mission for Vision, India, Member, Optometry Council of India. He is also a member of the WHO Technical Advisory Committee on School Reopening after COVID-19. He has also served on the Technical Advisory Group of WHO on Integrated Care for Older People, Technical Advisory Committee of WHO on School Health Services, Scientific Advisory Committee, Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, and WHO Consultative Committee on Monitoring & Implementation of Global Vision2020 activities and served as a member of the Indian Council for Medical Research Consultative Group on Disability. He was ranked among the top 2% research scientists of the world in 2020. He has received many awards and orations. He has contributed extensively to assessing the magnitude of blindness and disability in many countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He has published 275 in peer reviewed journals and contributed chapters to 15 books. He has supervised many PhD/MD/MSc/MPH students. He has been PI/Co-PI of 62 research and program grants from national and international funding agencies.

Professor Clare Gilbert worked as an ophthalmologist in the UK for 10 years before joining the International Centre for Eye Health. She has thirty years of experience of research, providing technical advice, contributing to national and global policies and programme development and evaluation in relation to blinding eye diseases in children in low and middle income countries.

Thulasiraj Ravilla is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management- Calcutta. After eight-years in Industry he joined Aravind Eye Hospital in 1981, to lead the administration as a member of its start-up leadership team. Aravind Eye Hospitals now annually handle over four and half million outpatient visits and perform over half million surgeries and other interventions. Over half of these patients receive care either free or steeply subsidized rates, through internal financing. In 1992, he co-founded Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology which has mentored over 360 hospitals in India and imparted management training to over 2,600 eye-care professionals from across the globe. Mr. Ravilla has been actively involved in several research activities, both clinical and operations research. He has authored/co-authored over hundred articles in peer reviewed publications, written book chapters and presented papers in several National and International forums. He has been an advisor on several national and international bodies. He was IAPB’s Southeast Asia’s Regional Chair and was Founder President of Vision 2020 India. He is or has been on the Board of Aurolab, Acumen Fund, Seva Foundation and Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta.