The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Governor Barnala donates eyes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 04, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Governor Barnala donates eyes

Priscilla Jebaraj

"Spread awareness on eye donation" Calls for a mass movement to spread awareness of eye donation

MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC: Governor S.S. Barnala and actor Lakshmi display their ``I am an eye donor'' T-shirts in Chennai on Sunday. — Photo: M .Vedhan

CHENNAI: His eyes have seen the lathi-charges during the Quit India Movement, and many years of Parliament.

At the inauguration of the IMA-Chennai Eye Bank, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala, with a spontaneous gesture, ensured his eyes would witness another generation.

"I don't know if the eyes of an old man which have seen 81 years of life are of any use... If they are, I will donate them," he said.

As eye bank officials rushed to give him a pledge card, he added: "I would like my eyes to go to two younger persons, a woman and a man, so they may see the world for many years to come."

Eye donation could help to open the eyes of 20 lakh Indians suffering from corneal blindness.

Barely 22,000 eyes are donated every year. To meet the shortfall, "a mass movement ... should be kick-started," the Governor said.

Actors' gesture

Two fellow donors could help to propel such a mass movement. Someday, someone will look out of the eyes that mesmerised the silver screen: popular actors T. Prashanth and Lakshmi Sivachandran also pledged their eyes at the function. While Mrs Lakshmi called on every citizen to spread awareness of eye donation, Mr. Prashanth promised to recruit his fellow actors to the cause. "Imagine a galaxy of stars all standing together saying `I pledge my eyes'... imagine all Chennai's college students joining together and pledging their eyes," he said.

Advanced techniques

The Indian Medical Association and Prems' Eye Clinic have joined hands to start the IMA-Chennai Eye Bank, which plans to use advanced techniques to help recipients regain full vision just one or two months after the corneal transplant.

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