
When Greg Schmidt arrived in Pondicherry in mid-November of 2024, he was greeted with a banana leaf on his door, welcoming him to the city in southeastern India.
Schmidt, director of research and business development at Iowa Lions Eye Bank, traveled to Pondicherry with Dr. Kanwal Singh Matharu, assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Iowa, to visit Aravind Eye Hospital and their eye bank.
“We were able to identify two immediate things the eye bank could implement that had a direct impact on their ability to better utilize transplantable tissue,” Schmidt says.
During his visit to Pondicherry, Schmidt says he was able to watch the Aravind eye bank staff process tissue. He also led training on processing tissue for Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) for the hospital’s cornea fellows.
In the operating room, Schmidt also conducted training on Descement Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK).
“They wear 3D glasses to watch the (monitor), so they can better observe and experience the depth perception of the procedure,” Schmidt says.
After the visit to Pondicherry, Schmidt and Matharu flew to New Delhi to tour Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital. While there, they were able to meet Lemlem Ayele, director of the Eye Bank of Ethiopia, who also happened to be visiting.
At Schroff’s, Schmidt met with Dr. Shalinder Sabherwal, director of public health and projects-SCEH Network, who visited Iowa Lions Eye Bank in September 2023. He also conducted DMEK training with some of the fellows at Shroff’s.
Matharu gave Dr. Virender Singh Sangwan, a surgeon at Shroff’s, an Iowa Hawkeye-themed tie, which Sangwan said drew many compliments.
This was the second international trip that Schmidt took in 2024. In January 2024, he traveled to the small African nation of Eswatini with Dr. Matthew Ward and visited the Miracle Campus of the Luke Commission.
Iowa Lions Eye Bank has long been involved in international eye care, including collaborations with surgeons and eye banks overseas. For more information on working with Iowa Lions Eye Bank, email Schmidt at the contact information below.