Ophthalmologists urge people to donate eyes

As part of the Eye Donation Fortnight, LVPEI has lined up a series of awareness programmes on the theme of cornea donation between August 25 and September 8.

Hyderabad: On the occasion of 38th National Eye Donation Fortnight, senior Ophthalmologists from city-based LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) on Friday have urged people to voluntarily pledge for eye donation so that more corneal transplantation can be taken up and the shortage can be met.

As part of the Eye Donation Fortnight, LVPEI has lined up a series of awareness programmes on the theme of cornea donation between August 25 and September 8.

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“Out of 1 crore blind people in India, over 20 lakh are affected by corneal blindness and 60 per cent of them are below the age of two years. Corneal transplantation is the only known cure for corneal blindness and it requires significant number of eye donations. The current eye collection India can only meet the needs of one-fourth of the patients,” Dr Sunita Chaurasia, Medical Director, The Ramayamma International Eye Bank, LVPEI, in a press release said.

Eye donations can happen only after death of a person and consent from their family members and hence, it is important for persons who pledge to donate their eyes to inform their family members and request them to honour their wishes after passing.

LVPEI eye donation helpline: 98495-45822.