The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Eye donation fortnight being observed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 30, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Eye donation fortnight being observed

Staff Reporter

Several awareness camps and lectures on eye donation are being held

In India, there are 25 lakh corneal blindness cases
25,000 new cases are added every year

Bangalore: To do its bit for creating awareness during the National Eye Donation Fortnight, observed between August 25 and September 8, the Lions International Eye Bank, a unit of the Bangalore West Lions Eye Hospital, is organising a series of awareness camps and lectures on eye donation for colleges and software companies.

It has pledge counters at malls in the city to allow people to pledge their eyes.

Corneal blindness

Rekha Gyanchand, medical director of the eye bank and corneal specialist, told presspersons here on Friday that corneal blindness, which may be caused due to Vitamin A deficiency, injuries, malnutrition, congenital disease and chemical burns, can be cured by replacing the defective cornea with a normal one.

But this can only be possible if people pledge to donate their eyes after their death.

This is as their cornea can be transplanted bringing sight to a blind person.

New cases

“In India, there are 25 lakh corneal blindness cases and 25,000 new cases are added every year. But there is a huge shortage of donor eyes, as only 15,000 corneas are collected,” Dr. Rekha said.

If people become more aware about the need of eye donation their eyes to help a blind person to see and come forward to do it, the gap can be bridged she added said.

Misconceptions

She added that there were a lot of misconceptions about eye donation.

The eye bank had taken up the task to educate people.

This would include providing them with the right information about donating their eyes.

“We make them aware of the facts about eye donation, including the fact that eye transplant is done only after death,” she added.

Collection

Eye collection takes only 20 minutes and does not disfigure the face.

Eyes have to be collected within six hours of death of a person and one pair of eyes gives vision to two corneal blind people.

Helpline

The Lions International Eye Bank can be reached 24 hours of the day on its helpline 22235005/22237628. And families of the deceased can call the bank so that the doctors can collect the eye from the donor.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka