The Gift of Sight from Angamaly

Born in Kerala, S. Tony Fernandez completed his basic medical education at Manipal and pursued specialised training in ophthalmology in England, earning a Diploma from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, London, followed by an MS from Madurai Medical College and FRCS from Glasgow. Additional training at Moorfields Eye Hospital and a fellowship with the International Eye Foundation in Washington prepared him for a lifetime of restoring vision.

He began his career in India as Assistant Professor at Madurai Medical College under the legendary Dr. G. Venkataswamy. In 1967 he joined the modest CBM Ophthalmic Institute at Little Flower Hospital in Angamaly—a small town in Kerala—and over the next four decades transformed it from a five-bed eye unit into a major centre of excellence with hundreds of beds. He founded Kerala’s first private-sector eye bank in 1970, organised free eye camps and school screening programmes, and pioneered advanced procedures such as intraocular lens implantation, refractive surgery, keratoplasty and squint correction in the region. Thousands of corneas collected through his efforts restored sight to the blind.

He served as Editor of the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology (1987–1992), President of the All India Ophthalmological Society (1994), and as an executive member of the Medical Council of India. After retirement he established Dr. Tony Fernandez Eye Hospital in Aluva, now continued by his son. He also founded the Kerala Action Force, promoting first-aid training, blood and eye donation, and palliative care.

In recognition of his service the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2008; he also received the Dr. B.C. Roy Award and the papal title of Chevalier. The Kerala Society of Ophthalmic Surgeons instituted an annual award in his name.

Today, in the operating theatres of Angamaly and Aluva, and in the countless eyes that see again because of his work, the legacy of Padma Shri Dr. S. Tony Fernandez endures—quiet skill, tireless outreach, and the unwavering belief that no one should live in darkness when sight can be restored.