Dr. Noshir Minoo Shroff (Noshir M. Shroff), Padma Bhushan, Ophthalmologist – Pioneer of Intraocular Lens Implantation & Modern Cataract Surgery

Dr. Noshir Minoo Shroff (Noshir M. Shroff), Padma Bhushan
Ophthalmologist – Pioneer of Intraocular Lens Implantation & Modern Cataract Surgery

An elderly patient sat nervously in the consultation room, cataract clouding both eyes.

“Doctor, will I really be able to see clearly again after the operation?”

Dr. Noshir M. Shroff smiled reassuringly. “Yes. With the new lens we place inside the eye, most people regain excellent vision. This surgery has changed lives for thousands. You will be able to see your family and the world clearly again.”

That quiet confidence, backed by decades of pioneering work, has restored sight to countless patients.

Noshir Minoo Shroff was born on 23 August 1951 in New Delhi into a distinguished family of ophthalmologists. His grandfather, Dr. S. P. Shroff, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, founded Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Daryaganj. His father, Dr. Minoo Shroff, continued the tradition. Noshir attended Modern School, New Delhi, and graduated with an MBBS from Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, in 1973. He completed his MS in Ophthalmology from the same institution in 1978 and later received further training, including an MAMS from Vienna.

In 1978 he joined Shroff Eye Centre as Medical Director and Partner. At a time when intraocular lens (IOL) implantation was still new and met with scepticism in India, he performed his first implant surgery in 1982. He went on to become one of the earliest and most prolific pioneers of IOL implantation in the country, completing more than 30,000 such procedures. In 1992 he was among the first in India to introduce phacoemulsification—the micro-incision, sutureless cataract surgery that transformed recovery times and outcomes. He also pioneered keratorefractive procedures in India, performing thousands of PRK, LASIK, LASEK, Epi-LASIK and bladeless Intralase surgeries, as well as ICL implantations.

He has contributed innovations in instruments, techniques and protocols for cataract surgery, published papers, written textbook chapters, and trained generations of ophthalmologists through the Diplomate of National Board (DNB) programme. He has served as President of the Delhi Ophthalmological Society, held key positions in national implant and refractive societies, and been Honorary Ophthalmic Surgeon to the President of India. He is a Senior Consultant, Adviser and Trustee of Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital, which continues to provide large volumes of free and subsidised care.

In 2010 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan for his contributions to medicine and service to the community. He has also received the Dr. Krishna Sohan Singh Trophy (twice), the Bharat Jyoti Award, the Nargis Adi Gandhi Memorial Award and other professional honours.

Even after decades at the forefront of ophthalmic innovation, Dr. Shroff remains focused on the patient.

“Technology is only useful when it reaches the person who needs it,” he often says. “The real success is when someone walks out seeing the world clearly again.”

From the early days of implanting the first lenses in North India to building a modern tertiary eye-care centre and supporting charitable services, Dr. Noshir M. Shroff has helped bring clear vision—and hope—to tens of thousands of people.