Dr. Vikas Haribhau Mahatme, Padma Shri

Dr. Vikas Haribhau Mahatme, Padma Shri
Ophthalmologist, Eye Bank Pioneer & Social Entrepreneur

A patient who had regained sight after free cataract surgery once asked him, “Doctor, why do you still perform so many free operations even after all these years?”

Dr. Vikas Mahatme replied with a smile, “Sight is a gift. When we restore it to someone who cannot afford treatment, we give back not only vision but also dignity and independence. That is the real reward of this work.”

That commitment has driven him for nearly four decades.

Vikas Haribhau Mahatme was born on 11 December 1957 in Amravati district, Maharashtra (Wathoda-Shukleshwar area). He completed his MBBS and MS in Ophthalmology from Government Medical College, Nagpur. After a short stint as a lecturer in the Department of Ophthalmology at the same college, he began private practice in a modest one-room clinic in the courtyard of his house on the outskirts of Nagpur.

In 1986 he founded the Mahatme Eye Bank and Eye Hospital under the S. Mahatme Eye Welfare Charitable Trust. What started as a small facility grew into a major eye-care network with branches and vision centres in Nagpur, Mumbai, Amravati, Gadchiroli, Pune and other parts of central India. The hospital has performed well over 1,80,000 eye surgeries, of which more than 80,000 have been free of cost for underprivileged patients. It is recognised by the International Council of Ophthalmology for surgical training and has trained more than 1,500 ophthalmologists from India and abroad.

Dr. Mahatme has personally performed over one lakh eye surgeries, including tens of thousands of phacoemulsification cataract procedures. He developed techniques such as the “woodcutter” nucleus-cracking method, a pigment for corneal tattooing, and a filtration-enhancing knot for glaucoma surgery. He authored the practical handbook Step by Step Phaco Tips & Tricks and was the first ophthalmologist in India to demonstrate live surgery via two-way audio-video conferencing simultaneously in 32 cities. He also pioneered the eye-bank and eye-donation movement in the Vidarbha region.

The Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2010 for his contributions to ophthalmology and community service. He has also received the Colonel Rangachari National Award and Gold Medal for work on rectal mucous membrane graft in dry-eye syndrome, along with other recognitions.

In 2016 he was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. He has continued to balance clinical work, training, charitable services and public life, later also serving as President of AIIMS Nagpur.

Even after decades of high-volume surgery and institution-building, Dr. Mahatme remains focused on accessible eye care.

“Blindness that can be cured should never be left untreated because of poverty,” he often says. “Every restored pair of eyes is a step toward a healthier, more independent society.”

From a one-room clinic on the edge of Nagpur to a network of eye hospitals that has restored sight to hundreds of thousands—many free of charge—Dr. Vikas Haribhau Mahatme has combined surgical excellence with a deep commitment to community service.