In a proud moment for India, two senior ophthalmologists from Puducherry have been selected for the prestigious Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award 2026. Dr Haripriya Aravind and Dr R Venkatesh of the Aravind Eye Care System will receive the award at the conference of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery Foundation in Washington DC on April 11, 2026. The award recognizes their outstanding service in fighting cataract blindness and improving access to affordable eye care.
What Is the Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award?
- The Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award was instituted in 2017 through an endowment by David and Victoria Chang.
- It honours exceptional humanitarian contributions in cataract care across the world.
- The award carries a $100,000 grant, which Dr Haripriya Aravind and Dr R Venkatesh have decided to donate back to the Aravind Eye Care System to strengthen its non-profit initiatives.
- This decision reflects their commitment to sustainable and community-focused healthcare delivery.
Distinguished Careers of the Awardees
Dr Haripriya Aravind
- Dr Haripriya Aravind serves as the chief of cataract and intraocular lens (IOL) services.
- She began her career in paediatric ophthalmology before shifting to adult cataract surgery.
- Working in a high-volume hospital environment, she has focused on improving surgical outcomes and streamlining large-scale patient care.
Dr R Venkatesh
- Dr R Venkatesh, chief medical officer, completed his residency in 1997 and joined the general cataract unit.
- He specialized in manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS), a cost-effective and high-volume surgical technique widely used in low-resource settings.
- He has also trained young ophthalmologists and led outreach programmes.
Role in Expanding Affordable Eye Care
- Dr Venkatesh played a major role when Aravind established its Puducherry facility in 2003.
- After completing a glaucoma fellowship in Madurai, he relocated and helped expand outreach services.
- Over the past two decades, both doctors have strengthened programmes that provide affordable cataract surgeries to underserved communities.
- Their work combines clinical excellence, innovation, and large-scale service delivery a model that has made the Aravind Eye Care System globally respected.
Why Cataract Care Matters Globally
- Cataract is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
- The condition is treatable through a simple surgical procedure, yet millions remain untreated due to lack of access.
- High-volume, low-cost models like MSICS help reduce blindness at scale.
- The Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award highlights global efforts to eliminate preventable blindness.
- By reinvesting the prize money into their institution, the awardees aim to further expand access to surgical interventions and strengthen sustainable eye care systems.
Background: Aravind Model of Eye Care
- Founded in Tamil Nadu, the Aravind Eye Care System is known for its unique model that delivers high-quality eye care at low cost.
- It operates on a cross-subsidy system where paying patients help subsidise free or low-cost treatment for the poor.
- Aravind has performed millions of cataract surgeries and is considered a global benchmark in community ophthalmology.
- Its outreach camps and training programmes have inspired healthcare systems worldwide. The Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award 2026 further validates this model.
Question
Q. The Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award 2026 is related to which field?
A) Cardiology
B) Oncology
C) Ophthalmology
D) Neurology
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