– HEALTH MINISTER DR BALBIR SINGH EMPHASIZES THE ROLE OF AWARENESS FOR EYE DONATION
– 41st -NATIONAL EYE DONATION FORTNIGHT TO BE OBSERVED FROM AUGUST 25
– INTENSIVE IEC ACTIVITIES TO BE CONDUCTED IN THE STATE DURING THE FORTNIGHT
Chandigarh, August 24:
With an aim to spread awareness among the public about the importance of eye donation and to motivate people so pledge their eyes for donation after death so as to address the critical shortage of corneas for transplantation, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Tuesday launched 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight.
The Health Minister urged people to come forward to pledge their eyes for donation. “Eye donation is a noble cause as it can give a gift of vision to a blind person,” he said.
The 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight will be observed from August 25 to September 8. The Health department will conduct intensified Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities to educate the masses during the fortnight.
Dr Balbir Singh, who himself is an eye surgeon, informed that the corneal damage leads to blindness, which is known as corneal blindness. The cornea is a transparent layer in front of the iris. “It is the Cornea which is taken from the donor’s eyes and is transplanted on to a corneal blind person, which enables the person to see the world,” he said while adding that this surgical procedure is called Keratoplasty.
Underlining the importance of eye donation, the Health Minister said that our eyes are the pivotal sensory organs, as up to 80% of all sensory impressions are registered through our sight. Without the gift of sight it is challenging to lead a normal life. He also stated that corneal blindness affects mainly children and young adults who have a long life ahead of them and that one eye donation can give sight to two corneal blind persons.
He said that around 11 lakh people are suffering from corneal blindness in India and 25,000 new cases are being added annually. More than 1 lakh corneal transplant are required in India But only 25000 corneal transplants are conducted every year in India. “We can see a huge gap in eye donations and number of corneal blind persons. Therefore we all need to come forward to fill this gap by pledging our eyes for donation and make our state and nation corneal blindness free, he said. He further added that though we have trained, highly qualified surgeons and hospital facilities to do the transplant we do not have enough eye tissues to do the surgery
Punjab has a total of 13 Registered Eye Banks and 20 Registered Corneal Transplantation Centres. A total of 1041 Keratoplasty were conducted in Punjab 2025-26, while 351 such surgeries have been conducted successfully till July 2026.
Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Hitinder Kaur said that during this fortnight, various IEC activities are to be carried out across the state and detailed guidelines have already been issued to all the Civil Surgeons in this regard. Various myths, superstitions regarding eye donation will be busted during this intensified awareness drive, she added. Special awareness campaigns to educate public on who can donate, how donated eyes are used and to encourage public for pledging “of eyes for donation after death, would be undertaken by the department.
State Program Officer of the National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) Dr. Neeti Singla said that the eyes can be pledged on the website https:///notto.abdm.gov.in/. After pledging the Pledge certificate can be downloaded from this website.
FAQs, Facts and Myths About Donating Eye
* What is an eye bank-It is a link between donor and recipient/eye surgeon. It is an organization recognized by the Govt. to collect and distribute human eyes to those requiring corneal transplantation.
* Who can be an eye donor-Anyone can be a donor irrespective of age, sex and blood group.
* Is the whole eye used for transplant- No only the thin transparent layer in the front of the iris called the cornea is used for transplant. Cornea is a transparent tissue without any blood vessels. A clear cornea enables one to have a good vision.
* What is meant by corneal transplantation-It is a surgical procedure where a diseased cornea of the patient is replaced by a healthy cornea from a donor for gaining the lost vision.
* How quickly should the cornea/ eye be removed after the death-within 6 hrs of death.
* Can a patient of diabetes and hypertension donate eyes? – Yes
* Who cannot donate eyes?-Eyes are not collected from donors who are infected with or died due to the following conditions: AIDS (HIV)/Hepatitis B or C, Sepsis, Leukaemia, Rabies, Meningitis, Encephalitis, Tetanus and other viral diseases.
* What should be done by the relatives of the deceased?- Inform the nearest eye bank or eye collection centre immediately after death.
* Eye Donation is only possible after death.
* Corneas need to be removed within 6 hours.
* Even if a person has pledged his/her eyes, the family’s consent is essential for donation to proceed.
* The eyes removal process is a minor procedure that doesn’t disfigure the donor’s face.
* Eye donation is a free service, with no cost to the donor’s family.
* Make sure your family members are aware of your wish to donate your eyes.
* Upon death your family should immediately contact the nearest eye bank.
* A team from the eye bank will visit the deceased’s location and collect the eyes.
