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Innovators

Innovators embrace new ideas and create new possibilities and outcomes. They challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of knowledge to develop new approaches, systems or appropriate technologies in eye health.

We are delighted to showcase our Eye Health Heroes – Innovators for 2021. They represent the diversity of eye health practice and the promise of what youth and new ideas can achieve in the sector. Do see and celebrate the Heroes listed here – each panel lists their work and impact.

Cosmas Bunywera
Cosmas Bunywera

Peek Vision

Cosmas has consistently pushed the boundaries to develop his knowledge and become an expert in his field..

Sundar Rana
Sundar Rana

Rampur Primary Eye Care Center

At the age of three, his family moved to the neighboring district Palpa in Rampur municipality…

Cyrus Alinia
Cyrus Alinia

Urmia University of Medical Sciences

He is a pioneer in ophthalmic economics studies in Iran and has published about 15 papers on eye health outcomes, access, quality, burden, and equity…

Kristin Poch
Kristin Poch

Operation Eyesight Universal

Kristin has been instrumental in executing innovative, virtual events to facilitate conversations about eye health, international development…

Jamie Zickefoose
Jamie Zickefoose

OneSight

His determination and inventive outlook have helped foster a positive and high performing culture…

Maha Oda
Maha Oda

The Fred Hollows Foundation

Maha has brought together a diverse team of Arabic ambassadors that reach a broad social, cultural, generational and economic constituency…

Sandra Carolina Durán Cristiano
Sandra Carolina Durán Cristiano

CLIO/Universidad de la Salle

She is a member of CLIO (Latin American Council for Research in Optometry), COLNE (Colombian College of Neurosciences) and VOSH-Colombia, participating in days of visual health brigades in different regions…

Eye Health Heroes 2021
Dr Ian Tan

SA Health /The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

He subsequently was the principal author on the most important paper from this survey which details the prevalence and causes of visual impairment in this population…

Malagapu Damodar
Malagapu Damodar

Mission for Vision

He has taken the help of Village Heads to break the cultural barriers and in some instances, he has handheld the patient and their family at every step…

Mira sultan al habtoor
Mira sultan al habtoor

Noor Dubai Foundation

Another innovative creation of Miss AlHabtoor to Noor Dubai and eye health in UAE is the introduction of newer fund raising and eye-health awareness models…

Adugna Amin Mohammed
Adugna Amin Mohammed

Light for the World

She is an Eye Health and NTDs Programme Manager at Light for the World Ethiopia…

Jubin Jacob Mathew
Jubin Jacob Mathew

DOT Glasses

He has shown immense persistence and grit to work around roadblocks by finding solutions to bridge the gap for partners to adopt the DOT Glasses solution and meet the vision impairment challenge in the country…

Adrián Portillo Téllez 
Adrián Portillo Téllez 

AMFECCO 

En el caso de Adrián Portillo Téllez consideramos que él es el mejor candidato en la categoría de Los innovadores…

Michael Szkarlat

Eversight

he instituted a clinical training plan for the Eversight Partner Relations team to give everyone better knowledge of eye anatomy, common anterior segment procedures, history of corneal transplantation and basic outcome measures of transplant surgery…

Mrs.N.Kasthuri
Mrs.N.Kasthuri

Aravind Eye Hospital And Postgraduate Institute Of Ophthalmology

On the part of teaching and training, Ms.Kasthuri along with 3 other faculty conducted Short term Maintenance of Ophthalmic Instruments…

Raquel Sofia Freitas Boia
Raquel Sofia Freitas Boia

Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra

She recently finished her PhD in which she developed a new intraocular biodegradable implant as a promising therapeutic strategy for long time drug release…