Corneal blindness: Dr Ashok Sharma highlights need for eye donation

Dr Ashok Sharma, Director of Dr Ashok Sharma’s Cornea Centre, urged everyone to pledge for eye donation and motivate others to do the same at the concluding ceremony of 40th Eye Donation Fortnight. The event, held at the Centre in Sector 22, was graced by chief guest Padma Shri awardee Dr Neelam Mansingh, Professor Emeritus at Punjab University, and other distinguished guests.

Dr Sharma emphasised that corneal transplant is a miracle operation, as patients regain vision the very next day. He shared an example of a patient who, after undergoing corneal transplant, now leads a happy life.

According to Dr Sharma, approximately 6 lakh people in India suffer from corneal blindness. While nearly 30,000 corneal grafts are performed annually, 25,000 new patients are added each year. To address this issue, India needs around 2 lakh high-quality donor eyes in the coming years, as there is currently a significant gap between demand and supply