The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), an eye and vision research organisation, honoured the founder of L V Prasad Eye Institute, Dr Gullapalli N. Rao, presenting him with the Kupfer Award for Distinguished Public Service for his outstanding accomplishments as a researcher, ophthalmologist and humanitarian, committed to moving forward the agenda of eliminating avoidable blindness by the year 2020.
The award was presented at a ceremony at the annual meeting of ARVO at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA recently. The award is named after Dr Carl Kupfer, the first Director of the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health of USA and a former President of International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
Dr Rao is the immediate past President of IAPB and the first Asian to receive the Kupfer award of ARVO. He is the founder Chairman of the L V Prasad Eye Institute network of primary and secondary eye care centres across Andhra Pradesh and tertiary centres in Bhubaneshwar, Vishakhapatnam and Vijayawada, according to a press release.