Case Study: LV Prasad Eye Institute

Man putting ribbon around wall plaque acknowledging Lavelle Fund's support of LVPEI.

Photo courtesy of LV Prasad Eye Institute

www.lvpei.org

Background

In April 2020, the Fund approved a two-year grant of $180,620 to support the L. V. Prasad (LVP) Eye Institute’s upgrade of 20 existing Lavelle-supported Vision Centers in the state of Telangana, India. By providing them with IT-enabled ophthalmic equipment, the centers would be able to connect to LVP’s tertiary care center through the transmission of images, thereby expanding the scope and efficiency of eye care to rural areas. Goals also included staff training and hitting key annual benchmarks in eye care services by the end of grant Year 2.

Results

In the face of the pandemic, LVP successfully upgraded the 20 vision centers at a rate of 10 per year. The organization reported nearly reaching or even exceeding target goals in eye exams, eyeglass dispensation, medical/diagnostic services and teleophthalmology consultation. Given that the majority of people who are blind or visually impaired in India live in rural areas, LVP intends to use this project as a model for future system-wide upgrades. The expectation is that eye care delivery will become increasingly technologically and digitally based, thus creating the widest possible network of services and eye care centers for those in need.