PTI

Supported by the US-based Palakurthi Foundation, Vision-Aid, an organization working in the field of vision-related disabilities has announced the creation of a new Centre of Excellence (CoE) in partnership with LV Prasad eye institute here. According to a release from Vision-Aid, Vasantha-Krupa Palakurthi Vision-Aid Centre of Excellence was named after the parents of Prashanth Palakurthi of Weston in Massachusetts, who had set up the foundation and it will be located in LVPEI''s Hyderabad campus. 

The new CoE at LVPEI will invest in a unique set of programmes, which focus on four specific areas with one common theme- innovations in low-cost assistive technology, funding for devices, advanced training programs to both visually impaired and vision professionals, and cutting edge research in the area of vision impairment, the release said. As a pilot, Vision-Aid and LVPEI will jointly conduct a 3-year research programme in Contrast Sensitivity (CS). The research outcome anticipates impacting 29.5 crore people who experience moderate to severe vision impairment (International Agency for the Preventive Blindness 2021), making a difference in their lives for a better quality of life.

The budget provided by Palakurthi Foundation will be used to cover the cost of research staff, equipment, and travel, it added. Welcoming this initiative, Prashanth Palakurthi said, Our family holds Vision-Aid in the highest regard. Affordability, Portability, and Ruggedness are key concerns in India and we know that Vision-Aid and L V Prasad Eye Institute will deliver an indigenous product that will work for India, and will be my father's legacy." Vision-Aid Founders, Ramakrishna Raju, and Revathy Ramakrishna, thanked Palakurthi Foundation and the LVPEI and Vision-Aid teams that worked hard to bring this new initiative to reality.