The National Eye Donation Fortnight (25th August – 8th September) is observed every year to spread awareness about eye donation. Over the years, India has witnessed a surge in the number of cases of corneal blindness. The low number of eye donations thus remains a grave concern. This article discusses the problems around eye donation and how these could be effectively overcome. There has always been a large demand-supply gap in eye donation.
Every year, India suffers from a backlog of around 225,000 donated corneas. To overcome this situation, the National Eye Donation Fortnight campaign aims to create awareness about eye donation and encourage people to pledge for corneal donation. Important statistics The world carries a huge burden of cases of blindness. According to the WHO, almost 80% of blindness cases are either preventable or treatable. The most common cause of blindness is…
