Health Minister Banna Gupta today said that the state-run Eye Banks will be connected with the nationwide cornea distribution system so that other eye banks in the State, where there is a long queue of cornea-related visually challenged people waiting for eye transplant can get cornea. This will help make available cornea to the visually impaired in time and their vision can be restored.

The Health Minister speaking at the annual meeting of Eye Donation Awareness Club (EYE-DAC) as the Chief Guest at Kashyap memorial Eye Hospital here on Tuesday said that KMEH will be connected with the National Child Safety Program so that the retina treatment of children with congenital cataract and premature children can be treated with laser for free. Due to retinal disease in premature children, without treatment in 30 days of birth, there can be vision loss forever.

Medical Director of Kashyap Memorial Eye Bank, Dr Bharti Kashyap said, “From last National Eye Donation Fortnight to this National Eye Donation Fortnight, we have done 55 eye transplants, in which 12 corneas were donated by locals after death and the rest were received from Cornea Distribution System. In the situation arising out of Covid-19, we developed Google forms to check the level of awareness in the society and sent it to 5000 students through digital means and also conducted eye donation awareness campaigns through digital medium. Through this we found the digital medium is as effective as newspaper, TV and radio.”

She further said that even after conducting eye donation awareness programmes through digital medium, when people were asked to fill the affidavit of eye donation, only 39 per cent of them expressed their desire to fill the affidavit. Even after awareness, people do not have the desire for eye donation.

This is the reason why people do not donate the eyes of their relatives after death, she added.

It was found, she said, that the percentage of awareness of eye donation is low but it is less than that the percentage of will power for eye donation despite awareness. “82 per cent respondents reported that there is a shortage of eye donors in India. 80 per cent of people knew that eye donation could be done within six hours of death. 84 per cent knew that eye donation is possible. 64 per cent of people knew that after death, eye donation is possible only with the consent of the family members. Only 45 per cent of people knew that cornea could be transplanted for 14 days after donating and only 41 per cent knew that eye donation is free,” she informed.

Several beneficiaries of eye donation shared their views as to how their lives changed after receiving cornea from donors. Parents of Late baby Vanshika (2), whose eyes were donated after her accidental death, also attended the meeting.

All the officials of Eye-DAC attended the meeting. Anuj Sinha, President of Eye-DAC, presented the welcome address. Dr. Bharti Kashyap introduced the eye donors’ families who came to the meeting with the members of Eye-DAC.

The eye donors’ kin were honored by the Health Minister for the commendable work. They included Vanshika Sarna, Padma Devi Jain, Hari Prasad Sahu, Om Prakash Rungta, Nalini Ben Gandhi, Shakuntala Devi and Chandan Bala Kothari. Dr. Ganga Prasad Singh, Dr. Pankaj Soni, Kamlesh Chauhan and Vijayeta Singh were honoured for their contribution in eye donation awareness campaign.
Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/state-editions/---govt-eye-banks-to-be-connected-with-nat---l-cornea-distribution-network---.html