KOCHI: Donating one’s eyes is a selfless act that bestows light and hope upon others. Just imagine the profound impact we can make in someone’s life by restoring their eyesight, enabling them to experience and engage with their surroundings like us.
What’s currently hindering eye donation? The value of sharing sight with others remains largely unrecognised. Misconceptions and familial concerns deter people from embracing it. While the Eye Bank Association of India reports a registry of 29,000 corneas, a critical question arises: how can we increase this number to the urgent target of 1,00,000?
Here are some suggestions to address this challenge:
First, we should focus on educational institutions, which play a crucial role in promoting this noble cause. Schools can instil awareness through seminars, campaigns, workshops, and by including eye donation education in their curriculum. By imparting this knowledge from a young age, we can nurture a society that values and actively supports eye donation.
Next, we can harness the power of digital technology to make eye donation registration more accessible, introducing it through SMS services and establishing a toll-free helpline across India to facilitate the process.
The third effective strategy involves enlisting the support of influential individuals. With their assistance and advocacy, we can persuade many more to embrace this admirable cause.Another vital aspect of eye donation is the ‘required request.’ Government ID cards such as PAN, Aadhaar, and voter’s ID can include donor information. People can express their willingness to donate when registering for these cards, streamlining the procedure nationwide.
Encouraging hospitals to inform patients and their families about eye donation when a death occurs can also make a significant difference. Perhaps we can create a social rating system for hospitals based on their level of support for this cause.
On this World Sight Day, which falls on October 12, let us commit to making India a leader in eye donations. Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Vandana is a Class 10 student at Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir, Girinagar, in Kochi. She has been an active student volunteer in eye donation awareness campaigns, and was invited as speaker at the recent National Conference on Cornea and Eye Banking in Varanasi.