Abhay Vasavada
The Power List 2020 – Power List
Director, Iladevi Cataract & IOL Research Centre, Raghudeep Eye Hospital, Ahmedabad, India
Your three wishes?
To be able to spend maximum time in the mountains, exploring and enjoying nature; to build a world-class eye research institute that would be accessible and available to everyone, so that we can contribute to the development and progress of science; to create a tertiary level facility where all children, irrespective of their social and economic background, can avail the highest level of surgical and vision rehabilitation care.
Piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
My advice to myself would be: take care of yourself, exercise and eat right. Because, at the end of the day, if you want to pursue your passion in life, you will need your body to be in tune with your mind.
The funniest moment of your career?
Some of the funniest moments in my career happened, when, in my younger years, my patients would mistake my fellow (a well-dressed, dashing and handsome man) for the consultant, and refuse to take my opinion, unless it was “endorsed” by the “Dashing, Handsome Doctor.”
The most unexpected turn your career took?
When I arrived back to my home country, India, after attaining my FRCS and higher education in England, I had decided to go into teaching, and not private practice. However, as circumstances would have it, I could not secure a teaching job anywhere, and I had to start my private practice. By chance, this enabled me to combine private practice with teaching and research, and not only have personal satisfaction, but also, hopefully, provide an example to others around me that it is possible to have both practice and professorship.
