Like a banyan tree that spreads its branches widely, “ The Regional Institute of Ophthalmology”, Chennai, is unparalleled in its history and tradition of nurturing and providing state of the art eye care. For 187 years (as on 2006) the institute has been providing quality eye care and is a standing testimonial for evolution of ophthalmology and training of generations of ophthalmologists in the nation.

Relentless to the forces of man and nature the institute has been serving through an era of British rule, two perturbing world wars, legendry freedom struggles, a sensational independence movement, a spectacle of modern evolution, an epoch of ophthalmology and its advances.

In 1639, Andrews Cogan , Chief of the East India Company negotiated with the local Governor of the Emperor of Vijayanagar, and bought a piece of land north of the Portuguese town, ‘ Santhome' , to establish an office. It was on this land Cogan and Francis Day built the now famous Fort St. George identifying the place as “Chennapapattinam”, a name derived from the Chennakesava Perumal Temple that stood in the environs of the present fort.

He advised the Company to depute his disciple Dr. R. Richardson to Madras. Richardson, who had studied ophthalmology under Travers, founded the “ Madras Eye Infirmary” in July 1819 at Royapettah (behind the Old Madras Club). Subsequently in 1820 the infirmary was shifted to the site occupied by the Tram Shed in Egmore, (opposite the present day Dinathanthi Office).

With a growing public support and increased activity, a need for better space was felt. A separate and dedicated Hospital complex at the present site came into effect in March 1884 with three main separate blocks with an additional outpatient dispensary. Subsequently various wards and blocks were built on as per need basis, which breathe even today in the lush greens.

In March 1888, with public support the “Eye Infirmary” rechristened itself as the Government Ophthalmic Hospital and Lt. Col. Drake Brockman (1873 -1894) served as the Superintendent.

In 1889, a detached ward chiefly for the use of Indian Military patients was built and was named after Lord Connemara as the “Connemara ward”. A female ward named as “Wenlock Ward”, after the then Madras Governor Lord Wenlock, a ward named after Lt. Col. Drake Brockman, public utilities and convenience were added to back the services offered.

The hospital owes its present glory to Lt. Col. R. H. Elliot (1904-1913). He was an eminent ophthalmologist and visionary who assumed office as the Superintendent in the fresh century.

The developments in the science lead to a greater understanding of the eye diseases and ophthalmology was at the core of its evolution. Mr. Elliot contributed greatly to the budding field of ophthalmology, notable of which is his design of Scelro-corneal Trephining , still considered by many, as an innovative surgical procedure to treat chronic glaucoma.

During this period the hospital grew distinctly, attracting numerous and distinguished visitors from the country and abroad. He envisaged and devised a plan to develop the teaching practice of the institute on an extensive scale whilst developing the infrastructure.

The field of medicine was developing in leaps and bounds with an understanding of the cause of diseases, discovery of microbial agents and immunization, awareness of sterilization, and application of the knowledge into advancement of the surgical therapies. The hospital rose to the challenge implementing the current principles with a supportive block consisting of a contemporary surgical theatre, a refraction room, waiting room and a room for students and teaching staff came into existence in 1907 .

A gracious block named after Lady Lawley for Indians along with a European ward built in the year 1911 with later additions of the administration and septic blocks in 1914 came under the management of Lt. Col. R. H. Elliot This stately building has now been (in 2006) declared as a Heritage Building by the Archaelogical Department of India.

Lt. Col. R. H. Elliot's vision of starting a school for ophthalmology shaped up under the guidance of his successor Lt. Col. Kirkpatrik (1914 – 1920) who played a key role to construct a School of Ophthalmology. Aptly named as “The Elliot School of Ophthalmology”, the school functions even today, honouring his vision and ophthalmology.

For the first time in the history of the nation , in 1926 , the hospital instituted, the ‘ Licentiate Course in Ophthalmology' and ever since several congregates of ophthalmologists have adorned the school.

An eminent ophthalmologist and a keen pathologist, Lt. Col .R. E. Wright (1920 – 1938), succeeded Lt. Col. Kirkpatrick. He held the office for a record 18 years which has not been bettered till date. To him gode the credit of taking Mr. Elliot's vision further. Lt. Col. R. E.. Wright conceived and created “ The Museum of Elliot ” housed in the School of Ophthalmology . Acclaimed as the finest, the museum pays tribute to ophthalmic world, reminiscing and reasoning its mellowness.

While the hospital was growing in strength and reputation, a significant development in the form of decentralization saw the introduction of Department of Ophthalmology in Government Royapettah, Stanley and Kasturba Gandhi Hospitals. Despite the active freedom struggles and the new departments at other hospitals, the Government Ophthalmic Hospital was serving diligently to the public in its fullest capacity.

Just as the Indian force was gaining momentum in the liberation movements, Diwan Bahadur K. Koman Nayar (1940 –1945) became the first Indian to hold the office of Superintendent in 1940. An adept eye surgeon he oversaw the institution of the post-graduate “ Diploma Course in Ophthalmology” for the first time in the country in 1942 .

With the dawn of independence of the nation, a skilled eye surgeon and pathologist, Dr. R. E. S. Muthayya (1947 –1956), assumed office heralding the usher of a new era. He envisaged and established the nation's first “Eye Bank” in the hospital, in October 1947, with the government's permission to collect eyes from the deceased destitutes and use them to give sight to corneally blind persons. He stands credited to have performed the First Corneal Transplant Surgery in India, in 1948.

It was during his term, that the present day programme of training in ophthalmology came into being. In 1949, the hospital introduced the “ Master degree in Ophthalmology” with an intake of two candidates. Dr. Muthayya cherished a dream to expand the hospital and its facilities by acquiring the overlooking ‘Shawfield' compound, across the compound.

His aspiration came true in 1960 , during the term of his successor Dr. T. T. Ramalingam. The hospital spread its wings across the road with a new building for outpatient services built in the ‘Shawfield' compound with benevolence from the owner of Shawfield.

The hospital surged ahead under the new Indian government, with a keen intent on eradicating blindness and creating awareness. Two mobile ophthalmic units were started (1957) to function with government support. It was actively involved in providing relief for eye ailments in the villages within a radius of 100 miles from each centre.

Under the Second Five Year Plan of the Government of India, a requisite to train an optometry support team saw the commencement of “ School of Optometry ” in 1962 . It was the nation's first diploma course in optometry with provision to train 30 students every year. Ever since, the school has been generating scores of optometrists in the nation who are delivering their service in India and abroad.

Further to an advanced understanding of diseases of the eye, the hospital began to establish the speciality clinics, with glaucoma and orthoptic clinic (1967) , leading the way. The creation of the unit system in 1968 helped to structure the organized functioning of the hospital and address its burgeoning patient service.

The hospital commemorated 150 years of service, in 1969 under the leadership of Prof. J. E. Abraham. Active development plans were laid, leading to enhancement of the facilities including a photocoagulator (1970), Contact Lens Unit (1975) and Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit (1976).

Under Prof. Dr. E. T. Selvam's stewardship, a design of comprehensive teaching programme for post-graduates lead to the recognition of the hospital as an institute for post-graduate studies, by the Medical Council of India in 1977.

The institute also modernised itself to the period with sophisticated equipment like Xenon arc Photocoagulator , Operating Microscopes, ERG, and EOG machines (1979). Two air-conditioned operating theatres and post-operative wards were added (1980) raising the bed strength of the hospital to 478.

The National programme for Control of Blindness in 1985 , acknowledged the role played by the hospital in blindness eradication and upgraded the hospital as “Regional Institute of Ophthalmology” . The institute commenced its own departments of Biochemistry, Pathology, Microbiology and equipped itself with Fundus camera, advanced slit lamps, operating microscopes and laser facilities.

The institute celebrated its 175 th anniversary in 1995 with decorum under Dr. V. M. Loganathan (1991 – 1996), priding itself with the service it was providing to the public including the current facilities like Octopus Perimeter, Auto- Refractometer, Ultra sonogram, YAG laser etc.

Dr. V. M. Loganathan steered the institute ahead in full throttle poising the institute as an examination centre for International Council of Ophthalmologists. His merit saw him as first director of the institute to assume the office of National Programme of Control of Blindness .

Dr. K. Ananda Kannan (1997 – 1999), succeeded Dr. V. M. Loganathan , who despite serving only for a short period, played a key role in setting up an enhanced Cornea Clinic and advancing the ‘Eye Bank' with co-ordination from Lions International. He prided himself as the first director of the institute to be the Vice - Chancellor of the Tamilnadu Dr. MGR Medical University.

At the end of the twentieth century, the institute adorned itself with a unique garden landscaped to give a panoramic view on the anatomy of the eye. A handiwork of the then director, Dr. V. Balasubramaniam, the setting remains a jewel in the crown that is distinctive and remarkable.

With its pride and glory, the institute successfully strode into the new millennium that seemed to be the nucleus of sensational start of the technology, which augurs phenomenal growth and exciting innovations.