Professor Sankaridurg
ZEISS has formed an advisory board to bring together a variety of perspectives from science, development and practice to support its work to find effective, needs-based solutions for the management of progressive and high myopia.
The Myopia Advisory Board comprises experts from clinical practice, academia and business from around the world. Together they will independently assess developments at ZEISS and advise the company on various aspects related to myopia management. The board will be chaired by Professor Padmaja Sankaridurg, Head of Global Myopia Management at ZEISS Vision Care with the support of board secretary Professor Craig Woods.
The independent experts come in from their strength and knowledge to provide us with an unbiased opinion on our myopia strategy
A Holistic Approach To A Global Phenomenon
“Myopia is such an important issue that we cannot view it solely from one viewpoint, i.e., for example, from the point of view of a manufacturer or that of a scientist,” said Prof Sankaridurg. “The condition starts commonly in children but affects them all through their formative years, their educational and professional careers and well beyond into old age for their entire life. Therefore, we have a particular responsibility and the need to be open to a range of perspectives to develop the best possible solution for all those affected.”
The newly formed ZEISS Myopia Advisory Board offers just that: a holistic view of myopia. “The independent experts come in from their strength and knowledge to provide us with an unbiased opinion on our myopia strategy and guide us to provide the best solution for each myope,” Prof Sankaridurg said.
ZEISS anticipates the combined expertise of 14 board members will enable the company to “incorporate a wide range of myopia management aspects into business-relevant decisions” stating that “Ultimately, the aim is to offer holistic solutions that consider myopes of all ages”.
Prof Sankaridurg said the experts will also provide global and regional perspectives. “Millions are affected worldwide and especially in Asia but in addition to this regional variation in prevalence, there are regional variations in practice patterns,” she said.
Prior to joining ZEISS, Prof Sankaridurg was Head of the Myopia Program and Head of Intellectual Property at the Brien Holden Vision Institute in Sydney, Australia. She was awarded her B.Opt. degree from the Elite School of Optometry, Chennai, India in 1989, her PhD in 1999 from the University of New South Wales, and a Masters in Intellectual Property in 2012 from University of Technology. She is a Conjoint Professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales.
