Mysuru Eye Surgeon Couple Performs 70 Successful Free Eye Surgeries in Ghana, Including 17 for Children

With compassion committed to the service of humankind and bringing a pleasing change in people suffering notably from eye illnesses, Dr. K.V. Ravishankar and his better half Dr. Uma Ravishankar are well-established names in the doctor's fraternity. Renowned ophthalmologists in Karnataka's Mysuru district, the couple is running a famous charitable eye hospital by the name of ‘Usha Kiran’ since 1995. They have earned repute through their corrective surgeries and eye care services to the downtrodden, especially in the field of paediatric eye care. Both doctors are members of the Rotary E-club of Bangalore, District 3191 and under the umbrella of Rotary they conducted eye camps, examinations and provided free medical check-ups, medicines along with free spectacles to people. In July 2024 as a major accomplishment, Dr. KV. Ravishankar and Dr. Uma with the support of various Rotary Clubs, Rotarians, and other good samaritans, conducted a total of 70 major surgeries for a large number of children and adults including 17 eye surgeries for 12 kids (many children had surgery in both eyes) at Tamale in Ghana. This project from July 6th to July 15th cost roughly 14 thousand US Dollars but the surgeries were conducted free of charge as it was entirely charitable work for the welfare of these deprived people.  
In a candid interview with Dr. Anubha Jain, Dr. Ravishankar said, “Some very complex surgical procedures have been done. A lot of the patients were suffering from congenital cataracts with one or the other anomalies associated with it like small eyes, small cornea, shaky or very large eyes, droopy lids, etc. We have left a few equipment & supplies with hospitals there for another 100+ surgeries.” He further said that Ghana's Tamale is an under-served northern region with a population of nearly 20 lakhs but the irony is that there is only a single eye surgeon there. On the other hand, if we see the population of Mysuru it is approximately the same, i.e., 20 lakhs but we have 150 eye surgeons here. So, such visits are very significant and essential for the people of Tamale, he added. In this series, apart from Africa, the doctor couple has provided eye care services to Latin America, Bangladesh, and Asia. Besides, Paediatric Cataracts, this couple has treated children suffering from Childhood Glaucoma, Droopy Eyelids, and Squints. 

It is pertinent to mention that Usha Kiran Eye Hospital, Mysore has been running one of the largest Paediatric Community ophthalmology projects in association with Sri Vivekananda Sevashrama,  another NGO,  for two decades in districts of Mysore, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar in southern Karnataka through which over 400,000 children from government schools from rural parts of these districts have been screened for eye ailments, and those needing glasses have been provided (more than 12000), those needing major eye surgeries(more than 1000)  have undergone surgeries under general anesthesia.

The Paediatric Community ophthalmology project runs entirely with public support and not a single rupee is charged for any of the major surgeries.  In this vein, the most prestigious Dr. Pratap Reddy Philanthropy Award was given to Usha Kiran Hospital for long-term services to the deprived in Lucknow by the Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) in March 2024. Similarly, Dr Uma Ravishankar was conferred with the “Eye Health Hero” award from the International Association for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in Sept. 2017.  Conferred with Rotary’s Netrarakshak Award Citation the couple through their noble efforts inculcating optimism in the way to lead life and helping the oppressed to overcome the psychological stigma bracketed owing to their debilities.