(December 4, 2025) Living in the United Kingdom for 20 years marked many firsts for Dr Kasu Prasad Reddy — professionally and otherwise. The renowned Ophthalmologist started the first Excimer Laser centre in the UK called the ‘Corneal Laser Centre’ (now known as the ‘Ultralase Centre’ of the UK). He was also the first Indian to be appointed as the authorised Medical Examiner for the Civil Aviation Authority at Gatwick Airport, London, after taking a private pilot’s UK licence and getting certified in Aviation Medicine from the Royal Air Force, Farnborough.
Otherwise, he once climbed a 500-foot radio tower in the UK to rescue a trapped man — a story that made it into British newspapers years ago. “While in the UK, I realised that India needed the latest eye procedures, especially for the young girls who get rejected or are asked for more dowry for wearing glasses. This realisation brought me back home and changed the course of my life,” smiles Dr Kasu Prasad Reddy, one of India’s most respected ophthalmologists, in conversation with Global Indian.
A blend of global experience, Indian values, medical innovation and deep human sensitivity — Dr Reddy, the man behind Maxivision Eye Hospital in Hyderabad is a stalwart in ophthalmology who has performed over 1,50,000 surgeries so far. He brought advanced refractive technology to India long before the rest of the country caught up.
Dr Kasu Prasad Reddy with Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India
A philosophy embodying humanity
In an era where healthcare is increasingly transactional, Dr Reddy’s story stands as a reminder that medicine, at its core, is not a business, rather is a bond between two human beings. “Patients enter the hospital with fear. They deserve care, patience and kindness. We are not repairing machines. We are treating human beings,” says Dr Reddy, whose philosophy is clear: treat people with love.
Maxivision: A sanctuary of calm and care
Walk into the sunlit corridors of Maxivision Super Speciality Eye Hospitals in Somajiguda, Hyderabad, and one instantly feels something unusual — a sense of calm that rarely exists in medical spaces. Nurses move swiftly, patients wait with surprising ease, and there’s a quiet hum of purpose in the air. At the centre of it all is Dr Reddy — soft-spoken, attentive and radiating the kind of warmth that helps anxious patients settle into their chairs with immediate comfort.
Building Maxivision from the ground up
Returning to India in the late ’90s wasn’t a glamorous homecoming for Dr Reddy. It was a leap into uncertainty. “I invested everything, including my wife’s property, to build a centre committed to world-class eye care at a cost Indian families could afford,” recalls Dr Reddy, who launched Maxivision in 1996. With no business background, he depended entirely on sincerity, instinct and an unwavering belief that technology must serve people, not intimidate or bankrupt them. He named it Maxivision — a tribute to his dream of delivering maximum vision to the maximum number of people.
Overcoming challenges with conviction
“Those early years were difficult,” recalls Dr Reddy, who would work long hours, often slept at the hospital and struggled to understand the economics of running a medical institution. But the patients kept coming — drawn by his expertise but staying for his humility. “My only principle was to treat each person like family. The patient is always right. We must listen first, then heal.” Slowly and steadily, Maxivision grew from a small room with borrowed equipment into one of India’s leading eye-care brands.
Innovations that changed Indian eye care
While Dr Reddy succeeded in giving freedom from glasses to children above 19 years of age with PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) and LASIK, many people above 40 demanded solutions to get rid of their reading glasses. Once again, Dr Reddy was the first to introduce INTRACOR and SUPRACOR of Bausch & Lomb, Munich, Germany — the first-ever solutions to eliminate reading glasses.
In 2000, he also introduced the Artisan Phakic IOL (Intraocular Lens) of Dr Jan Worst of Groningen, Netherlands, by taking an import licence to bring it directly through Maxivision. In 2005, the first cosmetically acceptable posterior chamber Phakic IOL called the ICL by Staar Surgical (USA) was also introduced by him. Dr Reddy associated with IOCARE (Baroda) helped produce the first IPCL (Implantable Phakic Contact Lens) as a cost-effective alternative lens for Indian patients.
Global collaborations and German advancements
In cataract surgery, while looking for more modern approaches, Dr Reddy went to Bogotá, Colombia in 2010, where American and German teams were experimenting with Femto Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS). “I associated with the Germans and brought the technology to India to conduct prototype device research for Tecnolas, Bausch & Lomb of Munich,” informs Dr Reddy, who also invented a concept called Phacotechmix/Phacomix — a technique blending five global technologies to give patients above 40 clearer vision with minimal dependence on glasses.
Connected to global ophthalmology
Even as Maxivision expanded and technology advanced, Dr Reddy stayed deeply connected to global ophthalmology. He continues to present techniques at international conferences, train foreign surgeons visiting India, collaborate with global companies on pioneering surgical platforms and advocate for ethical, affordable, high-quality eye care worldwide.
Old-school ethics in modern medicine
In clinical practice, Dr Reddy follows old-school ethics many modern doctors have forgotten: “Listen more than you speak. Explain more than you prescribe. Do only what is needed. Neither more nor less.”
‘Healthcare is not a business’
“Healthcare is not a business. It’s about managing people with love, without expecting any awards or rewards,” says the renowned ophthalmologist, whose reputation abroad was built not only on surgical outcomes but on his unwavering principles — a rare combination in a world where medicine often bends under commercial pressure.
A childhood shaped by public service
Dr Reddy grew up in a household where political conversations filled every corner. His uncle, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, served as Chief Minister of (united) Andhra Pradesh. His father and brother held public office. “Power, responsibility and public scrutiny were everyday realities.” From a young age, he was drawn towards medicine — a path far from the political stage.
Grandmother’s guidance
“The defining nudge came from my grandmother, a woman whose quiet influence guided me more than any speech or slogan. She wanted me to become a doctor and help those who suffer. I paid heed.” Years later, Dr Reddy still credits her with setting him on the path that took him around the world, and eventually brought him home again.
Training in England
After completing his MBBS from Guntur Medical College, Dr Reddy did three years of MS in General Surgery from Stanley Medical College, Madras. He also obtained a diploma in Ophthalmology from Ireland. He moved to England in 1978 and completed his MRCOphth from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists and training in aviation medicine. “It was a gruelling career in Orthopaedics and Accident Emergency for four years, followed by one year of Neurosurgery.”
Back then, he says, ophthalmology was undergoing radical transformation. “UK was my training ground,” he recalls, where he began as a comprehensive ophthalmologist and absorbed the latest developments in corneal, cataract and refractive surgery.
Dr Kasu Prasad Reddy with actor and philanthropist Chiranjeevi
Milestones across two decades
Over two decades in the UK, Dr Reddy earned international certifications, trained under pioneers and eventually became one himself. He was invited as faculty to leading international ophthalmology conferences, joined multiple global ophthalmic bodies and collaborated with experts worldwide. Above all, he introduced advanced surgical platforms to India far ahead of time.
The turning point
The turning point came in 1991, when he performed one of the earliest PRK procedures to remove minus (-) powered glasses permanently in the UK. Years later, he introduced the first LASIK procedure, witnessing his patient regain crisp vision within minutes. “I knew instantly that India needs this,” he says, and soon after, he returned to India.
Restoring sight, restoring lives
Every surgeon has memorable cases. Dr Reddy has thousands. But a few remain etched in his heart. Recalling how a grandmother regained the ability to see her grandchildren, he shares the story of a woman from a small village, nearly blind from cataracts, who walked into his hospital guided by her son. “Her world had shrunk to shadows. A simple surgery changed everything. When her bandages came off, she burst into tears — not of fear, but of recognition. She could finally see the faces she had been touching for years.”
Saving an IT professional on the brink
He also recalls a young engineer diagnosed with extreme myopia, terrified of losing usable vision. Dr Reddy performed a specialised phakic IOL procedure. “Days later, the boy saw 20/20 for the first time since childhood.”
A friendship that shaped his compassion
One of the stories that defines his philosophy goes back decades to his childhood friend Haridas. He was a boy from a poor household whom Dr Reddy helped secretly, even stealing money from his mother to support him. When Haridas later struggled in business and died by suicide, Dr Reddy realised what poverty truly meant. “Poor people have pride and dignity. They never want to ask for help. That is why we must help,” he remarks.
Free surgeries as a mission
To honour that belief, nearly 20 percent of his surgeries are done free or at minimal cost, supported by trusts established in his family’s name. Along with his younger brother Kasu Rajagopal Reddy, he started the Kasu Vengal Reddy Memorial Trust in 1999 and conducted many free eye camps and thousands of free advanced eye surgeries with the support of friends and family.
A mentor to many
Across India, dozens of surgeons refer to Dr Reddy as their mentor, crediting him for shaping their ethics as much as their surgical skills. “Skills must be shared, not guarded. I teach young ophthalmologists not only how to operate, but how to think,” says Dr Reddy, whose lessons are timeless: don’t chase money; chase excellence, and never oversell procedures.
Pushing the boundaries of innovation
He is presently experimenting with an accommodative IOL called the JUVENE IOL of LensGen Inc., Irvine, California. “I want to ensure that anyone above the age of 19 does not need glasses for both distance and reading.”
A life beyond the operating room
Despite the gravity of his work, Dr Reddy has a lighter, adventurous side. He finds peace in hobbies that free his mind. Golf is one of them. “I play golf every morning, not just for the thrill of victory, but for the profound lessons each swing imparts. Golf is a symphony of life’s wisdom played out on green serenity,” says Dr Reddy, a die-hard cricket buff who also enjoys horse riding.
Reaching for the skies
Beyond wielding a surgeon’s scalpel, Dr Reddy takes to the skies with a British pilot’s licence. His aviation journey is not just about conquering the skies — it is about reaching new heights, both literally and metaphorically. “I love spending time with my grandchildren and playing with my dog Rocky,” smiles Dr Reddy, who, above all, never stops learning.
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Yes. He is known for his skill, compassion, friendship, boldness and integrity