The founder of Hyderabad's L V Prasad Eye Institute, Dr Gullapalli N Rao has been elected as the first Chair of the Board of Trustees of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), a charitable organization registered in the United Kingdom. In addition to his four-year term as chairman of the board, he will serve as president and chief executive officer of IAPB.

This is the first time ever in the 30-year history of this international organization that the same person will hold all three positions simultaneously. Dr Rao will spearhead the Agency's efforts to eliminate avoidable blindness throughout the world by the year 2020, through VISION 2020: The Right to Sight, a collaborative programme of IAPB and the World Health Organization.

Dr Rao took office during the seventh general assembly of the IAPB held in Dubai from September 20 to 24, attended by more than 500 delegates from 75 countries across the globe, including representatives from governments and international non-governmental organizations involved in blindness prevention.

Dr Rao's focus during the next four years will be to make significant and measurable progress towards the goals of VISON 2020, by implementing sustainable models of eye care delivery targeting the required regions in the world, a release said.