Google, which extensively dedicates its doodles to mark special occasions, is celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Indian ophthalmologist Dr Govindappa Venkataswamy. 

 

Venkataswamy is remembered for his contribution to eye care, as he is the founder and chairman of the Aravind Eye Hospitals, the largest provider of eye care in the world. He is also responsible for playing a major role in the elimination of cataract-related blindness in the nation. His eye hospital has treated as many as 55 million patients and has performed 6.8 million surgeries.

 

According to Google blog post, he could perform 100 surgeries in a day and his approach to treating blindness was quite holistic as he set up multiple camps in rural areas, including a rehab centre for blind people and a training program for ophthalmic assistants, thereby succeeding in 10,000 surgeries. 

 

He is also a recipient of the Padma Shri award, which he received in the year 1973. Dr Venkataswamy was also permanently crippled from the age of 30, which did not come in the way of making his contribution huge in curing blindness.