may edition file

from the industry
“OPHTHALMOLOGISTS ARE
MOST OVERSTRETCHED IN
INDIA, SO OUR AIM IS TO HELP
THEM REMAIN STRAIN-FREE”
With 15 million blinds, India is home for 50% of
the world’s total blind population, according to
a 2016 study by the World Health Organisation.
While the status hasn’t changed much in the last two years,
another most worrying fact is that the country is also one
of the geographies in the world where the number of
ophthalmologists in proportion to its total population is the
lowest. And thus, it wasn’t a surprise that why the country was
also infamous for the highest number of medical negligence
in the area of eye care until recently. While the cases of
negligence have significantly come down in the last few years,
the credit to a great extent should go to the technology players
who changed the scenario by bringing the much-needed
sophistication into this field of care. Sandeep Bothra, Country
Business Head- Surgical, Alcon Laboratories India, says that
most of the recent technologies, those were introduced in
the area of eye care in India, have visibly improved the way
the diagnosis and procedures are done in the eye care setups
and the emerging technologies will make the visualisation and
diagnosis more easier and accurate, in an interview with editor
CH Unnikrishnan. Edited excerpts:
Eye care scenario in India has been quite challenging
because of several factors including a shortage of
ophthalmologists, lack of better training and infrastructure
and accessibility issues with best technologies. Alcon has
been in India for some time now and could you tell us what
has been your experience so far and do you think the
market has improved in terms of quality of care?
Alcon as a global leader in eye care, we always try to
discover new ways to enhance sight and improve patient lives.
As we have been doing this successfully in this market through
innovative products, partnerships with eye care professionals
and programs that create greater access to quality eye care.
We identify and develop technologies that deliver better visual
outcomes and address unmet patient needs, continuously
improving the options that exist today. Since our research
team observes surgeries and visits clinics to gain real-world
insights, we also regularly meet with
eye care professionals to get their
feedback on our products and their
future needs. So, I can confidently say
that the technology and training have
significantly improved the situation in
the Indian eye care. Also, the customers,
as well as patients, have become quite
demanding as they are already aware
of the latest products and procedures.
It is also evident from the change that
the cases of medical negligence have
come down drastically in recent time.
And I am proud to say that our products
touch the lives of millions of people
each year living with conditions like
cataracts, glaucoma, retinal diseases,
and refractive errors. Since we are the
only company that offers the complete
line of ophthalmic surgical devices, as
well as a differentiated contact lens and
lens care portfolio, this also gives us a
premium and most trusted position in
the market.
Alcon, through its social
responsibility and advocacy efforts,
also help to create sustainable access
to eye care for patients around the
world, thereby reducing the incidence
of preventable blindness and visual
impairment. By investing in professional
education, the group help to advance
the eye care industry and ultimately
create better outcomes for patients and
consumers.
How do you see the pricing scenario
here as the government is slowly
58 / FUTURE MEDICINE / May 2019