Dr. Santosh G Honavar

MD, FACS

Director, National Retinoblastoma Foundation, and Department of Ocular Oncology and Ophthalmic and Facial Plastic Surgery, Centre for Sight Superspeciality Eye Hospital e-mail: santosh.honavar@gmail.com

3 articles

Dr. Honavar had his basic medical education at the Bangalore Medical College. He was the Best Graduate of the Bangalore University in 1988 and was awarded seven gold medals. He received post-graduate training in Ophthalmology, followed by senior residency at the Dr RP Center for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi. During his residency training at the AIIMS, he was adjudged the Best Resident. Dr Honavar further trained in Ocular Oncology at the Wills Eye Institute, USA. He thereafter established the comprehensive Ocular Oncology Service at the LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, the first such in the country. He currently heads the National Retinoblastoma Foundation and the Department of Ophthalmic and Facial Plastic Surgery, Orbit and Ocular Oncology at the Centre for Sight, Hyderabad. Dr. Honavars current research interests comprise of retinoblastoma, tumors of the ocular surface, and orbit. Dr Honavars overall research contributions that have had very significant impact on the diagnosis and management of retinoblastoma and its outcome. He has extensively published in peer-reviewed journals (over 150 manuscripts) and has written several book chapters. Some of the major awards and honors to his credit include Pfizer National Award, 1990; Col. Rangachari Gold Medal, AIOS, 1992; ARVO-Santen International Fellowship, ARVO, 1996; Zeigler International Fellowship, Orbis International, New York, USA, 1999; Young Scientist Award, Indian Society of Oncology, 2000; Dr Vengala Rao Award, Andhra Pradesh State Ophthalmological Society, 2001; Achievement Award, Andhra Pradesh State Ophthalmological Society, 2001; Best of Show Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2002, 2006; Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2002; Dr Surya Prasad Rao Oration, Andhra Pradesh State Ophthalmological Association, 2006; Dr Siva Reddy International Award, AIOS, 2007, the Senior Achievement Award,American Academy of Ophthalmology, 2009, and the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award, Govt of India, 2009.

  1. Articles 7 Jun 2021 5 min read

    Pearls in the Diagnosis and Management of Rhino-Orbito-Cerebral-Mucormycosis

    “The more you know about the past, the better you are prepared for the future.” – Theodore Roosevelt 1. Elicit adequate history Considering the lethal and angio-invasive nature of Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral-Mucormycosis (ROCM) supplemented in this COVID-19 era, it is mandatory to understand the causative factors of the disease. Diabetes mellitus, oral and systemic corticosteroids, immunosuppressive drugs like tocilizumab, remdesivir, hospital admission, supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, primary or secondary immunodeficiency, hematological malignancies, stem cell transplantation, solid organ malignancies and solid organ transplantation, iron overload etc have been considered the important predisposing factors. The history acts like the guiding lantern onto the path towards appropriate management. “Ignoring the signs is a good way to end up in the wrong destination” 2. Identify the Red Flag signs In-depth knowledge about the red flag signs enables the clinicians to recognize the w

    Dr. Rolika Bansal · Dr. Santosh G Honavar, MD, FACS
  2. Articles 1 Apr 2021 8 min read

    Retinoblastoma : Top Ten Tenets for an Ophthalmologist

    1.Common and Curable Retinoblastoma is the most common childhood ocular malignancy. Annually there are about 6000 new cases worldwide. It is most commonly diagnosed at 15-18 months of age although in developing countries, older children also present with the disease. It is potentially curable if detected early and with proper management. Currently, the survival rate is as high as 95% with 90% eye salvage and 85% vision salvage. 2 The root of the Family Tree Retinoblastoma can be associated with germline mutation or somatic mutations of the RB1 gene on the long arm of chromosome 13. Heritable retinoblastoma constitutes 30-40% of all retinoblastomas while the rest are non- heritable. 25% of the germline mutations are familial with autosomal dominant inheritance and the remaining occur de novo. In heritable retinoblastoma, patients are prone to other second primary neoplasia including pinealoblastoma, osteosarcoma and soft tissue sarcomas. Genetic testing for germline mutations are availa

    Dr. Mrittika Sen · Dr. Santosh G Honavar, MD, FACS
  3. Articles 5 Apr 2020 30 min read

    Retinablastoma:The current concepts

    Introduction Retinoblastoma is the most common intraocular malignancy in children, with a reported incidence ranging from 1 in 15,000 to 1 in 18,000 live births.1 It is second only to uveal melanoma in the frequency of occurrence of malignant intraocular tumors. There is no racial or gender predisposition in the incidence of retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is bilateral in about 25 to 35% of cases. 2 The average age at diagnosis is 18 months, unilateral cases being diagnosed at around 24 months and bilat eral cases before 12 months. 2 Pawius described retinoblastoma as early as in 1597.3 In 1809, Wardrop re ferred to the tumor as fungus haematodes and suggested enucleation as the primary mode of management.3 The discovery of ophthalmoloscope in 1851 facilitated recognition of specific clini cal features of retinoblastoma. Initially thought to be derived from the glial cells, it was called a glioma of the ret ina by Virchow (1864)3.Flexner (1891) and Wintersteiner (1897) believed it to be

    Dr. Santosh G Honavar, MD, FACS