to work 12 to 14 hours a day, performing state of art surgeries like phacoemulsification, sutureless cataract surgery, keratoplasty, all types of lasers, paediatric surgery and cancer surgery, totally free for poor patients. Dr. Lahane’s contribution also includes pioneering activities in community ophthalmology, which are not part of his duties, in the Medical College but done as social work, in his off duty time. He is the pioneer of advanced phacoemulsification and stitch-less surgeries in eye camps in rural Maharashtra. He has conducted 692 such camps, all over Maharashtra including 196 camps in tribal areas. 192 camps were surgical camps. In these camps 120 thousand cataracts were operated in trouble and rural area of Maharashtra. He is the pioneer of such advanced cataract surgeries in leprosy patients. Since the year 2000, he has operated 5691 leprosy patients with complicated cataracts in Hon. Baba Amte’s Anandvan Ashram, reducing the complication rate from 35% to less than 1%. He has restored vision to hundreds of blind children and adults by successful corneal transplants.
Dr Lahane embodies the rare combination of surgical brilliance and humanitarian inclination. His eye camp surgical patients travel many miles to queue up for ‘Lahane baba’s’ camps in the base hospitals; such is their faith in his ability to restore their vision.
He has conducted live surgical workshops and Instruction courses in advanced surgical techniques all over India. He has more than 200 presentations in National Conferences. Through public lectures, newspaper articles and electronic media he has campaigned to create awareness for Eye Donation. He is the Associate Editor of Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, an Index Journal, member of Academic Council of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and President of the Bombay Ophthalmologists’ Association (BOA) and Maharashtra Ophthalmological Society (MOS). Bombay Ophgthalmologists’ Association and Maharashtra Ophthalmological Society are two major Associations in India with more than 1500 members, working towards the goal of blindness control and prevention. He was a member of Management Council of Maharashtra University of Health Services.