Dr R Muralidhar

Muralidhar hails from Bangalore where he completed his masters in Ophthalmology (2002-2005) at the Minto Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Bangalore Medical College, Bangalore. He did his long-term fellowship in Cornea and Anterior Segment at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad (2006-2007) and subsequently joined the Institute in 2007 as a clinical faculty member. Dr Muralidhar also completed a one-year fellowship in Paediatric Ophthalmology at the Storm Eye Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA, under the mentorship of Prof. Edward M Wilson, a pioneer in paediatric cataract and anterior segment diseases.

Dr Muralidhar also completed a short-term fellowship in paediatric anterior segment with special focus on genetics of anterior segment under Prof. Ken Nischal, at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. In addition to this, he pursued an advanced fellowship in refractive surgery and premium intraocular lenses under Dr George Warring IV at Magill Laser Vision Centre, MUSC, Charleston, USA, and an Observership training programme in lamellar corneal surgery under the mentorship of Dr Francis Price, Jr.Price Vision Group, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

He is an ardent investigator and has published over 60 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, 12 book chapters in prominent textbooks and presented several papers and posters at international and national forums. He serves as a reviewer for a good number of international journals, including high impact journals such as Ophthalmology, American Journal of Ophthalmology, British Journal of Ophthalmology (BJO) and European Journal of Ophthalmology. He is also an active member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the International Society of Refractive Surgeons and the All India Ophthalmology Society.

Dr Muralidhar received the ’Achievement award’ from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2014 for his noteworthy contribution made to the scientific community. He was also won the best poster presentation award in 2014 at the AAO annual meeting, in Orlando, USA, for his work on two decades of our experience in CHED, particularly in children. Also, his videos on various lamellar surgeries in children received rave reviews from the scientific committee of the Academy and were screened exclusively in the learning lounge. Besides these recent international ones, he has bagged several awards from other national meetings.

Dr Muralidhar’s foremost areas of interest include the treatment of visual impairment and blindness in children with special focus to Paediatric anterior segment abnormalities, Paediatric cataract, corneal infection, and refractive surgery. His interest in corneal grafting in children includes various forms of anterior and posterior lamellar surgeries, paediatric cataract surgery, and advanced intraocular lens implantation in children. He has developed several innovative surgical strategies in paediatric lamellar keratoplasty and is involved in various research projects in the field of Congenital Hereditary Endothelial Dystrophy, Congenital corneal anaesthesia, and use of multifocal intraocular lenses in the paediatric age group.