Sankara Nethralaya

Overview of Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

Sankara Nethralaya, a not-for-profit charitable hospital, was established on September 6, 1978, with the aim of providing world-class tertiary eye care in India. Since its inception, the hospital has experienced remarkable growth.
Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, was established on 14th October 1994 in a small donated building, with the aim of functioning as a modern eye care hospital with all facilities to serve the people of the Northeast. As the demand and need for expansion of its services grew manifold over the years, a new building of its own was constructed and the Hospital was shifted to the new building premises on 26th October 2001. 
The Hospital has constantly grown and evolved over the years, adapting itself to the needs of the times. From seemingly humble beginnings, Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya has grown into a Tertiary Eye Care Institute and a Centre of Excellence in the North East. As of today, Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya has 3 main units:

•    Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya Main Hospital
•    Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya Institute of Ophthalmology
•    Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya Institute of Community Ophthalmology

Sengamedu Srinivasa Badrinath, along with a group of philanthropists founded a charitable not-for-profit eye hospital. One that would bring world-class eye care to the people of India.
Unable to meet any medical expenditure, JCOC too (Jaslok Community Ophthalmology Centre) on the responsibility of performing a free of cost surgery & With 104 Beds.

Infrastructure at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• The Main Building of Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya houses 8 state-of-the-art Operation Theatres that cover a total carpet area of 9089 sq. ft., including an Intensive Care Recovery Unit with an intake capacity of 12 patients at a time. The Building also house 2 Septic and Minor Operation Theatres in the lower floors.
• Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, have all the latest medical equipments that are available and in use in all the Premier institutions of the country. Technological advancement in their respective fields has considerably helped our Surgeons to accurately diagnose the diseases and conduct the appropriate treatment with pin point precision.
• While our Operation Theatres are some of the most high tech in the country, boasting world class infrastructure, our Out Patient Departments and Investigations and Diagnostics Department are equipped with the latest and most up to date equipments.
• Teleophthalmology at Sankara Nethralaya.
• In a developing country like India, the ophthalmologist-patient ratio stands at a dismal 1:10,000. What makes this wide gap between demand and availability of eye care even more critical is its inequitable spread, 70% of the nation’s citizens live in rural areas while 70% of its eye care professionals live in urban areas.
• Teleophthalmology  holds great potential to improve the quality, access and affordability in eye care especially for patients in rural areas by reducing the need for travel and providing virtual access to a super-specialist right at their doorstep.Sankara Nethralaya’s Teleophthalmology units have been in the forefront of the institution’s battle against blindness for more than two decades, successfully reaching out quality eye care to a large number of patients in rural areas in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
• Refractive Surgery / Laser Vision Correction
• Inauguration of the ‘Laser Vision Correction Center’ at the main campus in year 2001 by the President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
• Laser Vision Correction is an outpatient procedure that is capable of correcting a wide range of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. LASIK is the acronym which stands for Laser Assisted in-Situ Keratomileusis. LASIK was first performed in clinical trials in the U.S. in 1991. The term refers to the use of a laser to reshape the cornea without invading the neighboring cell layers. Now it has expanded to other methods of Laser vision correction (LVC) as well. Laser vision correction has fast become the most preferred procedure for the treatment of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. The procedure is safe and the visual recovery is rapid which is why patients are undergoing this procedure the world over.

Infrastructure at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• The Main Building of Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya houses 8 state-of-the-art Operation Theatres that cover a total carpet area of 9089 sq. ft., including an Intensive Care Recovery Unit with an intake capacity of 12 patients at a time. The Building also house 2 Septic and Minor Operation Theatres in the lower floors.
• Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, have all the latest medical equipments that are available and in use in all the Premier institutions of the country. Technological advancement in their respective fields has considerably helped our Surgeons to accurately diagnose the diseases and conduct the appropriate treatment with pin point precision.
• While our Operation Theatres are some of the most high tech in the country, boasting world class infrastructure, our Out Patient Departments and Investigations and Diagnostics Department are equipped with the latest and most up to date equipments.
• Teleophthalmology at Sankara Nethralaya.
• In a developing country like India, the ophthalmologist-patient ratio stands at a dismal 1:10,000. What makes this wide gap between demand and availability of eye care even more critical is its inequitable spread, 70% of the nation’s citizens live in rural areas while 70% of its eye care professionals live in urban areas.
• Teleophthalmology  holds great potential to improve the quality, access and affordability in eye care especially for patients in rural areas by reducing the need for travel and providing virtual access to a super-specialist right at their doorstep.Sankara Nethralaya’s Teleophthalmology units have been in the forefront of the institution’s battle against blindness for more than two decades, successfully reaching out quality eye care to a large number of patients in rural areas in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
• Refractive Surgery / Laser Vision Correction
• Inauguration of the ‘Laser Vision Correction Center’ at the main campus in year 2001 by the President of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.
• Laser Vision Correction is an outpatient procedure that is capable of correcting a wide range of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism. LASIK is the acronym which stands for Laser Assisted in-Situ Keratomileusis. LASIK was first performed in clinical trials in the U.S. in 1991. The term refers to the use of a laser to reshape the cornea without invading the neighboring cell layers. Now it has expanded to other methods of Laser vision correction (LVC) as well. Laser vision correction has fast become the most preferred procedure for the treatment of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. The procedure is safe and the visual recovery is rapid which is why patients are undergoing this procedure the world over.

Centre of Excellence at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya Institute of Ophthalmology.
• DNB in Ophthalmology (Primary)      
• DNB in Ophthalmology (Secondary)    
• Fellowship in Comprehensive Ophthalmology 
• Fellowship in Community Ophthalmology     
• Fellowship in Cornea    
• Fellowship in Glaucoma  
• Fellowship in Medical Retina & Uvea 
• Fellowship in Orbit & Oculoplasty   
• Fellowship in Paediatric Ophthalmology    
• Fellowship in Vitreo Retina   
• Short Term Training Programme for SICS    
• Short Term Training Programme for SICS    
• Short Term Training Programme for Phacoemulcification 
• Internship training in Optometry    
• Observership for Doctors (Surgical
• Procedures) Refresher Training in
• Ophthalmology
• B. Optometry      
• Paramedical Ophthalmic Assistant and Ophthalmic Nursing (POA & ON)      
• Short Term Training Programme in Vitreo Retina  
• Short Term Training Programme in Orbit & Oculoplasty  
• Para Medical Training (PMOA)  
• B. Sc. Nursing training 
• MBA Internship    
• BBA Internship    
• B. Optima Observation Programme     
• Fellowship in Contact Lens Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya Institute of Community Ophthalmology.

Key Differentiators at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• Tamilnadu & Andhrapradesh total no of screening 86519 & no of surgeries 13975.
• 15 + Million patients in India & 3000 out patients per day, 300 surgeries per day.
• 372535 total free surgeries since inception.
• 753100 total free outpatient since inception.
• 7439 Minor Surgeries.
• 20197 free surgeries – 2022.
• 1732 Major Surgeries – Retinal Detachment.

Services for International patients at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• Sri Sankara Nethralaya, our International Patient Services extend unwavering support throughout the entire patient journey. From their home country to India and back, we provide comprehensive assistance to patients and attendants, ensuring a smooth experience, even during follow-ups in their home country.
• Facilities for International patients
• Sri Sankara Nethralaya prioritizes patient support with a dedicated focus on travel, transportation, and accommodation details. Our International Lounge provides a comfortable space. We offer a diverse culinary selection catering to ethnic and medical needs, along with language interpreters to bridge communication gaps and enhance the overall healthcare experience.

How to reach Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• Nearest Airport:  Anna International Airport which is around 15 Km away from the hospital and it takes about 30 min to reach the hospital. 
• Nearest Metro Railway Station: From Airport Metro to AG –DM Metro Station which is around 15 Km away from the hospital and it takes about 30 Min to reach the hospital.
• Located close to many hotels and guest houses.

At A Glance at Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and More.
• Established in  1994
• Total of 1000 + doctors
• Total of 250 + + beds

Awards and recognition of Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai

• We are proud to be named as the Winner of the Best Ophthalmology Specialty Hospital at the SICCI MedTech Conference and Healthcare Awards 2023 held on 28th July 2023.
• Sankara Nethralaya as No 1 Eye Hospital – All India 2023
• Sankara Nethralaya is the winner of the Single Speciality Hospital Award of the Year, 13th MT Healthcare Awards 2023.
• Sankara Nethralaya congratulates the Hospital Safety Committee (HSC) on creating awareness and culture of safety (for patients and staff) in the organization.
• Out of 200 nominations from 70 organizations across India and all around the world, Sankara Nethralaya, won the International Patient Safety Award (IPS) in ‘Excellence in Culture of Safety Design’ category, for successfully implementing the “Recognizing Incident Reporting System,” 2023.