An 8 minute film with live footage and animation created by Sreenyug Creations (Pune) and Nethradhama Eye Hospital (Bangalore) won the first prize at the ASCRS(American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery) conference at San Diego recently. It was very well appreciated and has generated lot of interest amongst researchers and eye doctors across the world.
The name of the award is ‘New Director/ Young Physician award’. This prestigious award is awarded to an ophthalmologist who enters the video competition in ASCRS (American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery) for the first time. The award is given by the prestigious American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, for outstanding work done by a young ophthalmologist in the field of cataract and refractive surgery, which he/ she hasprojected in their video/ film.
The award was received by Dr. Sheetal Brar on behalf of Dr. Sri Ganesh and Nethradhama Eye Hospital, Bangalore. There were 22 films from all over the world in this category and all the videos were scrutinized and judged by a supreme panel of judges who are experts in the field of cataract and refractive surgery. The videos are evaluated on the basis of certain criteria such as originality of the concept , scientific value quality of video, clarity of presentation, narration etc.
Dr. Sheetal Brar on receiving the award said, “It was great working and interacting with the Screenyug team throughout the entire process of making of this film. Through this, I got an insight into professional film making which was an interesting and exciting experience. It was a thrilling moment when I received the award on the most prestigious international podium. Thanks to Dr Sri Ganesh and the Screenyug team for making this dream come true!”
The award was given for a new and innovative surgical technique for treatment of Keratoconus shown in this film.
The procedure shown in this film is about a new and innovative surgical procedure for treatment of a potentially sight threatening eye disease known as Keratoconus in which the cornea thins and bulges out leading to visual deterioration. This disease usually starts in childhood and teenage and is known to be progressive. In advanced stages, the only treatment option is cornealtransplant, which is a radical procedure and has many demerits in the long term.
Nethradhama’s new technique, known as Femtosecond Intrastromal Lenticule Implantation (FILI) involves addition of natural tissue into a pocket created in a cornea of a patient affected by Keratoconus and its combination with collagen cross linking, a corneal strengthening procedure. This results in stabilizing the diseased cornea by improving thickness, strength and shapeleading to enhancement in vision and its quality. This procedure is safe and may have benefits over currently practiced techniques for management of Keratoconus such as Intracorneal Rings and PhakicIntraocular Lenses and may obviate the need for future corneal transplant.
Screenyug Creations, creative director, Vikram Veturi – felt that, “The film had a mix of live action and animation. The animation in the film plays an important role in communicating the concept in a simple and convincing manner. Congratulations to everyone involved for winning the award.”
Presentation of film and winning of award at the ASCRS, has given Nethradhamaa global recognition as many refractive surgeons recognized this innovative technique as apath breaking piece of research which has the potential of being accepted as a valid treatment option for Keratoconus in future. The film was very well received and appreciated by the international audience which was evident from their huge applause as the award was announced duringthe awards ceremony. It was a grand event likethe Oscars awards ceremony, and is themost awaited and popular event at the ASCRS every year.
Animation had a major contribution in the success of the film. The concept was very unique, but if the audience didn’t receive or understand it well, it would have failed to create the desired impact.
Screenyug Creations chief mentor Ashish S K ended, “Animation is a powerful medium to communicate concepts effectively in fields other than media and entertainment. It can be used to explain complex procedures in a simple way. That is why it is extensively used in the fields of education, medicine, architecture, legal, defense, 3D smart cities, BIM (Building Information & Modeling) and many others. This film is an example of that and it is a matter of pride for Indian animation that it has won such a prestigious award in the field of Medical animation.”