Our Mission A Year of Loss & Renewal Performance Community Outreach DR Initiatives Education & Training CMEs & Publications LAICO Managed Eye Hospitals IT and Systems HR Development AMRF Aravind Eye Banks Aurolab Accolades Partners in Service Trustees and Staff	Diabetic Retinopathy Initiatives Awareness Exhibition held at Aravind-Madurai According to WHO, a staggering 31.7 million people were affected by diabetes in India in the year 2000. This figure is estimated to rise to 79.4 million by 2030, the largest number in any nation worldwide. With the growing number of diabetics in India there is a simultaneous escalation in the number afflicted with Diabetic Retinopathy. Timely intervention can prevent up to 60-70% of vision loss. With the support of  World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) and Lions Clubs International, Aravind Eye Care System has engaged in various activities to reach out to the diabetics and has developed a model for screening and service delivery to control Diabetic Retinopathy. Understanding the urgency of the need and the inherent strength in this approach, the Sight Savers International has also joined with Aravind Eye Hospitals to tackle the problem of diabetic retinopathy in a systematic way. Community Outreach Awareness Seminars at Aravind-Coimbatore From January 2006 to March 2007, across all Aravind Eye Hospitals a total of 85 awareness seminars were conducted for 7,552 participants from various NGOs, and Primary Health Centres including, Medical Officers and twelve exhibitions were also conducted for general public. Advancing Knowledge Seminar for Paramedical Staff As a Centre of Excellence in Diabetic Retinopathy under TIFAC-CORE (Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council - Centre Of Relevance and Excellence) Aravind is becoming a world leader in patient care, research and training related to Diabetic Retinopathy. Training and research initiatives since January 2006. Clinical Studies 1. Prospective study to evaluate visual acuity, colour vision and contrast sensitivity in diabetic retinopathy patients pre and post PRP or focal or both. 2. PRP for PDR with diode and FD:YAG laser wavelengths : a case-control study Ph.D. registration: One Research Fellow P. Murugeswari has registered for Ph.D programme titled “Molecular Mechanism of Diabetic Retinopathy” in affiliation with Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai under the guidance of Dr.V.R. Muthukkaruppan, Faculty, TIFAC-CORE and Dr. P. Sundaresan, Senior Scientist. Exchange Programme • Dr. Olga Ceron, and Dr. Manvi Prakash, Research Fellows from Joslin Diabetes Centre, Beetham Eye Institute, Boston, USA as well as Dr. Haytham Salti, Lebanon were at the TIFAC-CORE centre for Training. • TIFAC-CORE in Diabetic Retinopathy conducted the third International Symposium on “Diabetic Retinopathy and Age Related Macular Degeneration” from 5 to 7 January, 2007 with the objective to share the views on current developments and future trends in the field of Diabetic Retinopathy and ARMD. • The TIFAC-CORE project has been extended for another two years specifically for research and training programmes in the field of “Proteomics and functional genomics of Diabetic Retinopathy”. Remote Diagnosis Remote evaluation of Diabetic Fundus through Tele-Ophthalmology approach: ADRES Dr. P.Namperumalsamy hands over the first copy of ‘ADRES’ to Mr. Nakamura, Managing Director, Topcon South Asia Pvt. Ltd., Singapore The software named Aravind Diabetic Retinopathy Evaluation Software (ADRES) was developed by Aravind Eye Hospital’s TIFAC-CORE with the support of TOPCON South Asia Private Ltd, Singapore. This Diabetic Retinopathy Screening software, first of its kind in India was launched on September 27, 2006. This will be used at other eye hospitals where retina specialists are not available and diabetologists who, by using a fundus camera, can send the retinal images of the diabetic patients to the reading centre at Aravind Eye Hospital for grading and further management. As a pilot, Aravind has installed in the M.V. Diabetes Centre at Madurai a non-mydriatic fundus camera, software (ADRES) and a process for remote evaluation of fundus images of diabetic patients. The technician at M.V. Diabetes Centre trained at Aravind takes the fundus photographs of diabetics coming to them using a non-mydriatic fundus camera and sends the images over the internet to the Reading and Grading Centre at Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai using special software. The retina consultant at Aravind evaluates the images using specially designed grading software ADRES and sends the advice/opinion in a standardized report format to the diabetic centres again over the internet for further management of DR. This whole process could take as little as 20 minutes. This screening model was put in place on January 20, 2007. So far, fundus images of 189 patients from the Centre were graded at Aravind and 40 patients were referred to Aravind Eye Hospital. This remote diagnosis approach using information technology is the first of its kind and holds immense possibility of reaching and saving the sight of the millions of diabetics all over the world. In 2006, the Mobile Screening Unit with V-SAT connectivity travelled to 60 screening camps where a total of 21,063 outpatients were screened for general eye examination, of this 2,294 diabetic patients’ fundus images were sent to the Reading and Grading Centre for expert opinion. Around 400 patients were found to have Diabetic Retinopathy. World Diabetes Day 2006 World Diabetes Day Celebrations at Aravind-Coimbatore In connection with the World Diabetes Day, several awareness activities and screening activities were carried out in all Aravind Eye Hospitals. Training and HRD Academic courses for Ophthalmologists o Fellowship in Diabetic Retinopathy & Medical Retina – One candidate trained o Certificate Course in Diabetic Retinopathy – 17 Candidates trained Academic courses for Ophthalmic Technicians Academic courses for Ophthalmic Technicians o Certificate Course in Fundus Fluorescein Angiography and Ultrasonography - 2 Candidates trained Top
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