Chennai: “Blindness is a major cause of concern around the world today. In India, an estimated 20 lakh people suffer from blindness caused by damages to the cornea, the clear transparent outer layer of the eye,” said Dr Srinivasan G Rao, regional head, clinical services, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital.
According to him, more than a quarter of the cases of corneal blindness can be resolved if transplantations are done without delay.
Just like any other body organ, the cornea of the eye can also be donated after death. With tens of thousands of corneal blindness cases being added every year to the existing burden, the annual demand for corneal transplantations is on the rise and to meet this dearth, the public needs to be educated on eye donation, he added.
He said India needs four times more eye donors to support the annual demand for 1 lakh corneal transplantations.
An eye donor can belong to any sex or age. However, there are a few diseases which can restrict the donation of the eyes like AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, Rabies, Septicemia, Acute leukemia (Blood cancer), Tetanus, Cholera, and infectious diseases like Meningitis and Encephalitis, he added.