Dr. Ruit eventually graduated at the top of his class at All India Medical College and pursued an ophthalmic fellowship in Australia, where he was introduced to a remarkable procedure to reverse cataract blindness. With this inspiration, he returned to Nepal, and in 1992, Dr. Ruit founded Tilganga eye clinic in Kathmandu, intent on providing access in his home country to the same high-quality care he had experienced abroad (at the time, Nepal had one of the highest rates of blindness in the world). Dr. Ruit expanded his clinic from restoring sight for 75 patients/week to what has become the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, Nepal’s national Center of Excellence, treating up to 1500 patients a day and training hundreds of surgeons, ophthalmic nurses and bio-engineers from over 43 countries to tackle the elimination of needless cataract blindness on a global scale.

She was awarded for a short course in Tropical Ophthalmology from the Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London (1990), and successfully completed the University of Wales’ Course on Clinical Refraction (1989) and Course on Lasik (2000). Dr. Reeta completed her studies in General Medicine from 1st Pavlov Medical Inst. Leningrad, USSR (1984), and obtained a MSC (Ophthalmology) from Bristol University (1990). She was awarded a fellowship in Cornea and External Eye Diseases from the Eye Hospital Rotterdam, Holland (2001) and a MSC in Community Ophthalmology from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the UK (2006). Dr Reeta has worked across diverse and varied settings, including at the Royal Eye Infirmary, Plymouth, UK; Department of Ophthalmology, Cheltenham, General Hospital, UK; Nepal Eye Hospital and Maternity Hospital; and the United Mission Hospital.

Prof. Dr. Poudyal is the Academic Chief, Academic and Training Department and Retinal Surgeon in Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology (TIO). He is the Professor and co-coordinator of Subject Committee, Ophthalmology in National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS). He completed his MD in Ophthalmology from Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal in 1996. He pursued a highly prestigious postgraduate one year clinical fellowship in vitero-retina at Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital, Australia in 2000.

SUMAN S. THAPA, MD, Ph.D. is a Professor of Ophthalmology. He currently is serving as the President of the Glaucoma Society of Nepal (2019 – 2021), Vice President, SAARC Academy of Ophthalmology, Immediate Past President of the Nepal Ophthalmic Society (2016-2018), Member of the Associate Advisory Board – World Glaucoma Association and Chairperson of the Institutional Research Committee. He is an adjunct Professor of MAHE university, Karnataka, India. He has lectured at Grand Rounds in Stanford University, University of California San Francisco, University of Michigan, University of Iowa and John Moran Eye Centre, Utah.

Dr. Saiju completed his MD in Ophthalmology from Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine Kathmandu in 2001. He pursued a postgraduate one year clinical fellowship in Orbit, Plastic and Lacrimal disorders in University of Melbourne in 2004 and serving this hospital for last two decades. For his contributions in clinical and scientific services for the country he was awarded with – Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology- APAO Distinguished service award 2014 and APAO Achievement award 2021. Dr. Saiju is President for Nepal Ophthalmic Society (NOS) 2021-22

Pitambar Adhikari is Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Nepal Eye Program, Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology.