The IAPB regional chair is a voluntary leadership position
to which members are elected for a period of four years.
Hyderabad, April 2025: Dr Rohit Khanna, Network Director for public health at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, was re-elected as the Regional Chair for the Southeast Region of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Founded in 1975, IAPB is a premier eye health body and an alliance of over 250 member organizations worldwide drawn from international charities, eye hospitals, academic institutes, professional bodies and corporate organizations.
As the regional chair for IAPB, Dr Khanna will work closely with stakeholders across the region in coordination with the IAPB global office, to advocate for universal eye health and strengthen regional and national activities for the prevention of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. Regional chairs also serve as IAPB Trustees and thus contribute to the strategy and governance of IAPB globally.
He will work to take forward IAPB’s agenda as a global leader in eye health advocacy, coordinating major campaigns such as World Sight Day (WSD) and leading initiatives like 2030 In Sight, the UN Friends of Vision group, VISION 2020 and Vision for the Commonwealth.
It is the global voice for the eye care sector working to end avoidable sight loss and ensure everyone has affordable, accessible and inclusive eye care and rehabilitation services.
IAPB Southeast Asia member states include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Indonesia, People’s Republic of Korea, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste.
About Dr Rohit Khanna
Dr Rohit C Khanna, the Network Director for the Public Health Unit of LVPEI – The Gullapalli Pratibha Rao International Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye Care has vast experience leading capacity building initiatives and consulting for both national and global organizations, such as IAPB and World Health Organization (WHO).
Dr Khanna has led multiple studies, including the cohort of Andhra Pradesh Eye Disease Study (APEDS) – a milestone study. He has to his credit over 200 peer-reviewed publications, is on the editorial boards of several journals, and has been awarded several prestigious research grants for his work focusing on studying the outcomes of different interventions as well as on geriatric and child eye health. His areas of clinical interest are cataract and glaucoma.
Dr Khanna’s first tenure from 2021-2024 was marked by the following key achievements:
• The development of a regional action plan, endorsed by all the health ministries in the Southeast Asia region
• The national launch of the Integrated people-centered eye care (IPEC) 2030 In Sight strategy and the development of national plans in several countries
• Completion of the Eye Care Situation Analysis Tool (ECSAT) assessments and baseline data collection for effective cataract surgical coverage (eCSC) across most countries in the region
• Continued data generation for effective refractive error coverage (eREC) across the region
• Strengthened collaboration for knowledge exchange
Dr Khanna begins his second tenure and will continue to:
• To drive the IAPB and WHO agenda of achieving Universal Health Coverage in collaboration with all the regional stakeholders
• To develop country-specific plans for the next decade
• To explore funding opportunities that support regional eye health initiatives
• Strengthen human resource development, particularly for allied ophthalmic personnel
• To identify and onboard new IAPB members within the region to expand engagement.