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Successful collaboration with HMS Vision Private Limited and Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya expands access to simulation-based cataract surgical training across four Northeast states
GUWAHATI, India, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HelpMeSee and HMS Vision Private Limited, in collaboration with Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya (SSDN), announced the successful completion of a four-and-a-half-month simulation-based cataract surgical training operation in Guwahati that provided 51 ophthalmologists with access to surgical skills training closer to where they live and work.
Trainees at SSDN, Guwahati, attending the HelpMeSee MSICS course. During the program, they developed transferable surgical skills and received hands-on guidance from HMS Vision Private Limited instructors.
Conducted from April through August 2026, the initiative brought two HelpMeSee Eye Surgery Simulators from HMS Private Limited in Mumbai to SSDN in Guwahati, approximately 2,700 kilometers away. The operation provided ophthalmologists from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura with local access to the HelpMeSee Simulation-based Training Program.
The results exceeded the initiative’s original goal of training 30 cataract surgeons in Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS). In total, 51 ophthalmologists participated, including 26 from SSDN and 25 from other institutions across Northeast India.
“This operation demonstrates what can happen when we bring training closer to ophthalmologists rather than asking them to travel thousands of kilometers to access it,” said Dr. Akshay Nair, Senior Consultant – Market Development Advisor, HMS Vision Private Limited. “By working with Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya, we expanded access to HelpMeSee simulation-based training and helped ophthalmologists develop surgical skills that can ultimately benefit patients and communities across Northeast India.”
HMS Vision Private Limited, the Indian subsidiary of HelpMeSee, managed the operation and delivered the HelpMeSee Simulation-based Training Program with support from SSDN. An HMS Vision Private Limited Instructor Assistant provided on-site support in Guwahati, while an Instructor in Mumbai remotely observed training sessions, combining local hands-on simulation with continued instructional oversight.
The cohort included 31 residents and 20 fellows. Early follow-up also shows participants progressing in their surgical journeys. Twelve participants had progressed to performing independent surgery, while another 17 had begun assisting with surgical steps. HMS Vision Private Limited continues to follow participants to better understand how their simulation-based training translates into clinical practice over time.
“The four-month HelpMeSee Simulation-based Training Program at Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya has been a highly valuable experience for both our internal trainees and ophthalmologists from different parts of the North-Eastern region. We have received very encouraging feedback from the participants, particularly on the opportunity to practice and refine their surgical skills in a structured simulation environment and gain greater confidence in their clinical practice,” said Dr. Kasturi Bhattacharjee, Director, Clinical and Academics, Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya.
The Guwahati operation demonstrates a flexible model for bringing simulation-based surgical education closer to where it is needed. Rather than creating a permanent training center, HelpMeSee training capability was deployed temporarily within SSDN’s established ophthalmic training environment, reducing the need for participants to travel to distant metropolitan training centers.
For HelpMeSee, the success in Guwahati represents more than the completion of one training operation. It demonstrates how partnerships, simulation technology, and a flexible training model can expand access to surgical skill development in regions where geography has traditionally been a barrier.
As HelpMeSee continues to expand simulation-based training across India and globally, the goal remains the same: equip more cataract specialists with the surgical readiness to restore sight in their communities.
About HelpMeSee
In a world where 100 million people are blind or visually impaired due to cataract, HelpMeSee, a not-for-profit under IRS 501(c)(3), has a global mission to eradicate cataract blindness by increasing the training of Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (MSICS). This safe and relatively quick procedure delivers successful outcomes at a low cost. The HelpMeSee MSICS training system features high-fidelity, virtual reality simulation with haptic feedback, sophisticated courseware, learning management systems, and electronic learning aids.
HelpMeSee was founded by Al and Jim Ueltschi, who imagined building the MSICS training system by incorporating many of the methods and techniques used successfully in commercial pilot training. As co-founder of Orbis International and founder of FlightSafety International, Al Ueltschi was an icon in the aviation industry and was devoted to ending preventable blindness in the developing world. HelpMeSee trains high quality, very low-cost MSICS to ensure that all communities have access to sight restoring affordable treatment. With more than 40 simulators and 19 training centers worldwide, HelpMeSee partners with governments, universities and innovators to fight the global cataract blindness crisis. For more information, visit http://www.helpmesee.org.
About HMS Vision Private Limited
HMS Vision Private Limited, the Indian subsidiary of HelpMeSee, supports the delivery of simulation-based cataract surgery training programs across India. The organization operates a Training Center of Excellence in Mumbai and collaborates with leading institutions including L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Aravind Eye Hospital, Sankara Eye Hospital, and Sankara Nethralaya to expand access to high-quality surgical education and strengthen the ophthalmic workforce.
About Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya
Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya (SSDN) is a premier not-for-profit tertiary eye care institution based in Guwahati, Assam, and a leading centre of excellence in Northeast India. Established in 1994 under the Sri Kanchi Sankara Health and Educational Foundation, the institution was dedicated to the nation by former Prime Minister Late P. V. Narasimha Rao and later recognized as a “Centre of Excellence” in 2004 by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Since its inception, SSDN has grown from modest beginnings into a comprehensive, multi-specialty eye care institution addressing the region’s critical need for accessible ophthalmic services.
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