Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital Limited (AEHL), a subsidiary of Dr. Agarwal’s Health Care Limited, has inaugurated the world’s first dedicated Pinhole Pupilloplasty (PPP) Centre at its flagship facility in Chennai.

The centre was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, in the presence of Dr. Amar Agarwal, Chairman, Dr. Agarwal’s Health Care and inventor of the PPP technique, and other senior ophthalmologists and dignitaries. The launch coincides with the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight.

Pinhole Pupilloplasty is a microsurgical technique designed to improve vision in patients with corneal scars, irregular corneas, high corneal aberrations and certain post-surgical optical distortions, without requiring a corneal transplant. 

The procedure creates a small, precisely centred pupil that reduces scattered light and allows more focused rays to reach the retina.

The technique could offer an alternative for patients who may not have access to donor corneal tissue amid a persistent global shortage of corneas.

Developed by Dr. Amar Agarwal, PPP has so far been used to restore vision in more than 5,000 patients. The new centre will provide an integrated programme covering diagnosis, patient selection, surgery, post-operative care, long-term follow-up, research and training. 

Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital currently trains more than 50 ophthalmologists every year in the technique through workshops and academic programmes.

The centre's launch also builds on the hospital’s wider community eye-health initiatives in Tamil Nadu. These include a recent school eye-screening programme that screened more than 16,000 students in a single day.