Sankara Nethralaya conferred the Sankara Ratna Award 2025 on philanthropist Prasad Reddy Katamreddy, president and CEO, Twisted X Inc., Texas, and a member of the Board of Advisers, Sankara Nethralaya U.SA, at a function here on Friday.

The award was presented by former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, in recognition of Mr. Katamreddy’s support to Sankara Nethralaya, including a $550,000 contribution towards a Mobile Eye Surgical Unit.

The unit is intended to extend eye-care and surgical services to underserved communities across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka.

Mr. Naidu said preventing blindness required sustained efforts from both the government and the private sector. He stressed the need to take eye-care services closer to rural communities through mobile facilities.

He also urged greater awareness of posthumous eye donation and support for institutions working to address corneal blindness.

Mr. Katamreddy also reaffirmed his and his wife Shobha Reddy’s commitment to philanthropy and supporting communities in need.

The Sankara Ratna Award was instituted in 2002, the silver jubilee year of Sankara Nethralaya.