Karnataka - Bangalore   

Steps to promote eye donation

BANGALORE: Organisations can soon start getting “eye certification” from Narayana Netralaya if all of their employees pledge for eye donation. The latest initiative in association with IDL Foundation comes in the light of acute shortage of corneas at Dr. Rajkumar Eye Bank at the netralaya. “It is an initiative to increase the number of corneas in our eye bank,” said K. Bhujang Shetty, Chairman and Managing Director of the netralaya, said here on Saturday.

Dr. Shetty said that there has been a shortage of corneas in the Dr. Rajkumar Eye Bank. “We have about 25,000 corneas. This is less than 0.5 per cent of the demand. We have set a target of reaching one lakh corneas by the end of this year. This will not only meet the needs of those in Karnataka but also in the neighbouring States,” he added.

Eye certification, Dr. Shetty said, is a new way of attracting people towards donation of eyes and their other organs. “We are targeting organisations. If they come forward, we will carry out the process of donation of eyes and give a certificate that all their members/staff members have agreed for donation of eyes. It will be a form of discharging corporate social responsibility,” Dr. Shetty said.

True donation

Launching the new initiative, Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde said donation of eyes and other organs was the purest form of donation. “There is a need to involve religious leaders in such programmes and dispel the myth about organ donation,” he said. “Five years ago I agreed to donate my eyes to the eye bank. I am also donating my functional organs,” he said.

Interested organisations may contact Ph: 9342530290, 9844011910 or email: idlfoundation@gmail.com.

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