# Rangaswamy Srinivasan: The chemist who traded a $15M LASIK patent for $10,000 and glory

> Rangaswamy Srinivasan sold his IBM laser patent for $10,000 but earned global recognition for LASIK surgery.
- Title: Rangaswamy Srinivasan: The chemist who traded a $15M LASIK…
- Summary: Rangaswamy Srinivasan sold his IBM laser patent for $10,000 but earned global recognition for LASIK surgery. Rangaswamy Srinivasan traded a $15 million LASIK…
- Keywords: rangaswamy srinivasan, lasik, ibm, national medal of technology and innovat, photochemistry, ultraviolet laser, cornea reshaping, turkey bone, farsightedness, nearsightedness, hyperopia, astigmatism
- Source: Financialexpress — https://financialexpress.com/world-news/nri/rangaswamy-srinivasan-the-chemist-who-traded-a-15m-lasik-patent-for-10000-and-glory/4362591
- Author: Anjana PV
- Published: 2026-10-15T23:41:29+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: rangaswamy srinivasan, lasik, ibm, national medal of technology and innovat, photochemistry, ultraviolet laser, cornea reshaping, turkey bone, farsightedness, nearsightedness, hyperopia, astigmatism
## Rangaswamy Srinivasan
Rangaswamy Srinivasan was born in Madras, now Chennai, on February 28, 1929.
## IBM patent deal
Srinivasan received $10,000 when he handed his laser breakthrough to IBM, later sold for $15 million.
## Recognition joke
Srinivasan joked that becoming famous required living long enough to receive recognition.
## National Medal
Srinivasan accepted the National Medal of Technology and Innovation at age 83 in 2012.
## Father of LASIK
Srinivasan is known as the father of LASIK surgery, a procedure that helps millions reduce glasses dependence.
## Early research
Srinivasan studied photochemistry and proteins at the University of Southern California.
## IBM career
Srinivasan worked at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center from 1961 to his retirement.
## Laser discovery
Srinivasan discovered ablative photodecomposition using a turkey bone in 1981.
## First surgery
Srinivasan and colleagues performed the first LASIK surgery on a German patient in 1988.
## FDA approval
The US FDA approved the first commercial excimer laser system for refractive surgery in 1995.
## Global impact
Over 40 million people benefited from Srinivasan’s LASIK work worldwide.
## Patent dispute
Srinivasan and IBM colleagues filed a patent in 1982, while Trokel filed later in 1983.
## Recognition
Srinivasan received the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2002 and the National Medal in 2012.
## Legacy
Srinivasan’s work improved vision and created new medical opportunities without financial gain.
## The turkey experiment
Srinivasan used a turkey bone to test laser effects on tissue in 1981.
## The cold flame
Srinivasan observed a cold flame when ultraviolet laser hit polymers in 1981.
## Key takeaway

Rangaswamy Srinivasan traded a $15 million LASIK patent for $10,000 but became known for improving vision through laser surgery.