Born in 1957 as a poor farmer's son in a small village Makegaon in Latur district of Maharashtra, Dr. Tatyarao Pundlikrao Lahane educated himself under the scheme "Earn while you learn" and graduated in the field of Medicine from Marathwada University , Aurangabad in 1981. He obtained his surgical training and passed the Master of Surgery degree in Ophthalmology from the same University in 1985. He conducted numerous cataract surgery camps in rural Maharashtra while serving as a Lecturer and subsequently as an Associate Professor at the Rural Medical College , Ambejogai. Failing kidneys and deteriorating health brought him to Mumbai in 1994 where he joined work as Professor and Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Sir J.J. Group of Hospitals and Grant Medical College . His single-handed dedication, determination and hard work has made the Department of Ophthalmology, Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals the most advanced tertiary Eye Care Centre in Maharashtra today. Inspite of being on life support medicines after his kidney transplant in 1995 he continues 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 120 such camps, all over Maharastra including 46 camps in tribal areas. He is the pioneer of such advanced cataract surgeries in leprosy patients. Since the year 2000, he has operated 1311 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.