Not many know that in comparison to other countries where over 80 per cent population donates their organs, including eyes, only one per cent of Indian population undertakes voluntary cadaver organ donation. To save lives as well as reduce the causes of preventable blindness, it is important that people develop a positive attitude towards organ donation.
As a step towards this direction, the Centre For Sight organised a Walkathon yesterday in association with various NGOs during which it also staged a street play on the importance of eye donation. October 10 is observed as World Sight Day.
“If the cornea (the clear tissue covering the front of the eye) gets cloudy due to disease, injury, infection or poor nutrition, vision is drastically reduced — it may also lead to blindness. This sort of blindness is very common but the good thing is it can be treated by replacing the damaged cornea with a healthy one from a donor,” said Dr Tarun Choudhary, ophthalmologist, Centre for Sight, Vikaspuri, New Delhi, adding that corneal blindness affects mainly children and young adults. The doctors also informed that even blind people can donate their eyes, if they are not suffering from corneal blindness.