VIJAYAWADA: Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav released the official awareness brochure for the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight at the Health Department headquarters on Monday. Calling on citizens to come forward voluntarily, the Minister stressed that corneal donation is vital to restoring sight to individuals suffering from corneal blindness.
Highlighting a significant surge in recent tissue harvesting efforts, the Minister revealed that the State collected 13,803 corneas over the three financial years spanning 2024–25 to July 2026–27. This three-year total represents 75 per cent of the 18,400 corneas collected during the preceding five-year period from 2019–20 to 2023–24.
Annual collection figures showed a steady upward trajectory, rising from 5,039 corneas in 2023–24 to 6,112 in 2024–25—a 21.3 per cent increase—followed by 5,872 in 2025–26 and 1,819 through July of the current financial year.
To bolster government-run storage and transplantation infrastructure, the state is allocating Rs 80 lakh toward procuring state-of-the-art equipment for Regional Eye Hospitals in Kurnool and Visakhapatnam. Currently, corneal collection relies primarily on government teaching hospitals where tissue is harvested from deceased patients following family consent.
The Health Department works in partnership with specialised eye care centres, including LV Prasad, Sankara, and Pushpagiri Eye Hospitals, to perform vision-restoring keratoplasty surgeries. The new equipment will allow public regional hospitals to directly store, process, and perform eye transplants.
The 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight will be observed across all 28 districts of Andhra Pradesh from August 25 to September 8, 2026. The campaign will focus on addressing myths surrounding organ donation through public rallies, pledge drives, educational seminars, and student competitions like essay writing and quizzes.
Expressing appreciation to families who consent to tissue donation during times of personal loss, the Minister commended their humanitarian spirit for inspiring wider community action.
