Virginia-based ophthalmologist Dr Vadrevu K Raju’s lifelong mission has been to restore vision of people, especially children in both India and abroad through his non-profit, Eye Foundation of America.
The physician is credited with performing more than 40,000 surgeries which includes surgeries of 28,000 children. The Eye Foundation of America has provided its support to eye patients in 21 countries. “We focus more and more on children because if we don’t do something for children in the beginning it becomes too late to do anything afterwards,” he remarked in a Rotary club event in India.
Dr VK Raju
The native of Andhra Pradesh, believes that if abnormalities in vision get diagnosed in the earlier years of life and if immediate medical intervention is provided, then people can be saved from aggravated complexities later. ‘A stitch in time saves nine,’ he said.
We continue to do adult eye care, but the major focus of our foundation is on children. Our foundation’s motto is to have a world without childhood blindness.
Dr Raju, who is the president and founder of Eye Foundation of America as well as Goutami Eye Institute in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh works as a clinical professor of ophthalmology at West Virginia University. He is also the director of International Ocular Surface Society and an adjunct professor at GSL Medical School.
“There has been incredible growth in India but there is still a big discrepancy between the rich and the poor. To some extent this is the case in the US as well,” he remarked.