WHO Redesignates Hyderabad's LVPEI as Collaborating Centre Until 2030
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially redesignated the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad as a Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness. The announcement, published on July 9, 2026, extends the institute's collaborator status for a period of four years, ensuring its active role in global health initiatives until the year 2030.
Through this redesignation, the Hyderabad-based eye care institution will continue its long-term support for global eye care and blindness prevention programmes. LVPEI initially achieved this collaborative status 25 years ago, in the year 2001. Today, the institute is distinguished as one of only 11 eye care institutions globally to be designated by the WHO Director-General to support these international health programmes.
As an active WHO Collaborating Centre, LVPEI is set to support the United Nations (UN) body in its primary goal of achieving universal health coverage. To assist the global health organization, LVPEI will deploy its technical and operational expertise across various global initiatives.
The institute plans to leverage its large pyramidal network alongside its deep expertise in public health epidemiology. This infrastructure will be used to generate critical evidence for best practices in eye health, train an adequate eye health workforce, and develop comprehensive eye health guidelines. Additionally, the institute will provide public health expertise, research, and technical guidance to support global eye care programmes. The collaboration aims to address blindness prevention on a global scale through these structured training, research, and technical guidance initiatives.
Reflecting on the milestone, Dr. Gullapalli N Rao, the Founder Chair of LVPEI, emphasized the history of the partnership. Dr. Rao stated that the redesignation underscores two decades of collaboration between LVPEI and the WHO in taking public health eye care forward, describing the designation as both an honour and a responsibility.
The extension ensures that the collaboration, which began 25 years ago, will continue to impact global eye care policies and workforce development. By retaining its status as a WHO Collaborating Centre until 2030, the Hyderabad-based L V Prasad Eye Institute remains a key player in the global effort to prevent blindness.
