Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Apr 17:9:1179172117701742.
doi: 10.1177/1179172117701742. eCollection 2017.

Prof Lalit Prakash Agarwal (1922-2004)-The Planner of the First-Ever National Blindness Control Program of the World

Koushik Tripathy  1
Affiliations

Prof Lalit Prakash Agarwal (1922-2004)-The Planner of the First-Ever National Blindness Control Program of the World

Koushik Tripathy. Ophthalmol Eye Dis. .

Abstract

Prof Lalit Prakash Agarwal drafted the National Programme for Prevention of Visual Impairment and Control of Blindness (now called National Programme for Control of Blindness) in India in 1976, first of its kind in the world. With his vision well ahead of his time, he brought the concept of super-specialty in Indian ophthalmology. He founded Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, the apex governmental ophthalmological center of India. His contributions to modern Indian Ophthalmology were so profound that we may not be mistaken by calling him "the father of modern Indian Ophthalmology."

Keywords: Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences; National Programme for Control of Blindness; corneal blindness; corneal ulcer; entropion; glaucoma; retinitis pigmentosa; trachoma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

DECLARATION OF CONFLICTING INTERESTS: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A portrait of Prof Lalit Prakash Agarwal by the optometry students (2013–2016) of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sharma KA. Family members. [Accessed February 18, 2017]. http://www.drkavitasharma.org/family.html.
    1. Prof L P Agarwal contribution in Indian Medical Science AIIMS on documentary. [Accessed February 18, 2017]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FP4f8TrePQ.
    1. History and Evolution of Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences. [Accessed February 18, 2017]. http://www.aiims.edu/en/history-and-evolution.html.
    1. Agarwal LP. National programme for prevention of visual impairment and control of blindness. Indian J Ophthalmol. 1978;25:1–5. - PubMed
    1. Agarwal LP, Gupta RB, Malik SR. Drug administration in cataract surgery. Br J Ophthalmol. 1959;43:302–308. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources