Suseela Prabhakaran

Suseela Prabhakaran is an Indian ophthalmologist and chief ophthalmic surgeon at Divya Prabha Eye Hospital in Trivandrum, India. She started her career as a lecturer in ophthalmology in the Department of Medical Education at the state government of Kerala.

She was actively involved with the improvement of healthcare services in Kerala, especially in the field of ophthalmology. Through NGOs like the World Health Organization and Innerwheel, she was able to introduce major advances in eye care.

Prabhakaran was instrumental in upgrading the Government Eye Hospital in Trivandrum to a Regional Institute of Ophthalmology. She was also the Advisor in Ophthalmology to the state government.

She established Divya Prabha Eye Hospital on leaving government service.

Awards received
Suseela Prabhakaran has been given many awards for her contributions to the ophthalmological field. She received a Carapet Gold medal for securing first rank in the state for the SSLC examination. She was a gold medallist for the final year in her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery program at the University of Kerala. The World Health Organization granted Prabhakaran a Fellowship Award in Ophthalmic Microsurgery in 1981. She has also received a Knight of the Blind award from Lions Club International, a Platinum Jubilee Award from the Indian Red Cross Society, and the Sevana Ratna award from Nethaji Smaraka Samithi.

Scientific contributions
Prabhakaran has written several articles in scientific journals and has been cited in the Indian Science Abstracts. Of the 45 million blind people in the world, 12 million of them live in India. Prabhakaran has been able to improve eye health in Kerala by performing cornea graft surgeries and many other procedures that correct or improve cataracts on patients. She also advocates for eye donation, which has been a major topic of interest for advocates of corneal grafting.

Divya Prabha Eye Hospital
Prabhakaran founded the Divya Prabha Eye Hospital to help improve the quality of vision among people in Kerala. The facility was initially established as a clinic by Dr. N. Prabhakaran, who wanted it to provide the best care for patients at an affordable price. At first, it did not have the resources necessary for surgery, so patients requiring surgery were directed to a nearby hospital.

Dr. N. Prabhakaran died a year after the clinic opened, and Suseela Prabhakaran took over the project. She turned it into a full hospital able to accommodate cataract and glaucoma surgeries, two of the main eye problems in India. The operating theatre includes separate areas designed for septic procedures and a sterile air corridor.

Prabhakaran also continues to treat people who cannot afford surgery.