Need more drives to boost eye donations: Dr Kulkarni

Only 262 people from the Pune district took the pledge to donate their eyes during the 15-day National Eye Donation Fortnight campaign

The 38th National Eye Donation Fortnight ended on Friday, and only 262 people from the Pune district took the pledge to donate their eyes during the 15-day campaign. Also, 73 eyeballs were collected and 29 keratoplasty surgeries were performed during the initiative, said the officials.

The 38th National Eye Donation Fortnight ended on Friday (HT PHOTO)

The awareness drive, which was held between August 25 and September 8, aimed to create mass public awareness about the importance of eye donation and to motivate people to pledge their eyes for donation after death. During the drive, the district authorities conducted several activities to reach out to the public, especially the youth, to disseminate awareness and to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of cornea.

Dr Anjali Kulkarni, a district ophthalmic surgeon, said, a series of activities like awareness talks, distribution of pamphlets, and sports completion were conducted at primary health centres, hospitals, schools, colleges, and public places.

“Despite an increase in the number of people pledging to donate their eyes over the last few years due to heightened awareness, a significant gap still exists between the availability and demand for corneal transplants,” she said.

Kulkarni further said, that to increase donations, there is a need to organise year-long campaigns to ensure that the message is running in the minds of people.

“The number of people who pledged to donate eyes during the fortnight is huge in comparison to the regular number of people who pledged to donate,” she said.

Another senior doctor, on anonymity, said, that in a month, in the Pune district around 10 to 12 people pledged to donate their eyes and during the drive over 262 people pledged to donate their eyes.

“The awareness has notably increased, and individuals are willingly pledging their eyes. One can donate the eyes of deceased family members even if no prior pledge was made. The number of people coming over with untreated allergies that could have affected the cornea and cases of keratoconus has increased. Now, the heightened awareness and interest in pledging have even reached the rural areas,” the doctor said.