35th National Eye Donation Drive kicks off at AIIMS
Dr. Harsh Vardhan addresses 35th National Eye Donation fortnight celebrations, digitally
Tejinder Singh Bedi
@tsinghbedi
Despite all round COVID 19 disruptions, upheavals & turbulence, the 35th National Eye Donation fortnight campaign by Dr R P Center for Ophthalmic Sciences of the AIIMS, New Delhi was launched by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Science & Technology and Earth Sciences; Dr. Harsh Vardhan digitally on the 25th evening.
The annual event integrating an estimated over a thousand participants from all over the country was conducted through a highly interactive and engaging webinar in which this author too had a unique privilege of joining it as a personal invitee of Prof. (Dr.) Jeewan S Titiyal, Chairman of the National Eye Bank — who guided the proceedings all through.
Reminding everyone that the “National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey 2019, jointly conducted by AIIMS (Delhi) and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had reported that corneal blindness was the leading cause of blindness among patients aged less than 50 years in India, accounting for 37.5% of the cases and was the second leading cause of blindness among patients above the age of 50 years, Dr. Vardhan highlighted that Corneal blindness is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports; he added estimate that approximately 5% of the world’s population is blind due to corneal diseases alone. In India, approximately 68 lakh people suffer from corneal blindness in at least one eye; of these, 10 lakh people are blind in both their eyes.”
Since the only known treatment to corneal blindness is corneal transplant, he urged those present to increase awareness to fill the demand and supply gap of corneal tissue.
Speaking on the shortfall of donations in recent months due to the COVID pandemic and associated fear, he observed “the eye-banking system has been one of its worst victims among the routine non-emergency medical activities that have borne the brunt of this pandemic.
The eye-banking guidelines of various countries, including India, advised temporary suspension of donor cornea retrieval and elective corneal transplantation surgeries when active lock-down measures were being implemented. This led to almost negligible cornea retrieval in April-May with more than 90% fall in corneal transplant surgeries.” He also reiterated the advice of the medical community that it is highly unlikely for the virus to be transmitted via donor corneas.
Dr Vardhan expressed happiness that eye banking activities had been resumed in non COVID hospitals via the Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme in India and congratulated the Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI) for coming out with a detailed advisory on precautionary measures with regard to corneal tissue retrieval to ensure maximum safety to the tissue recipients and those handling them.
However, he cautioned everybody present that in a country as populous as India, the present statistics are next to dismal. He beckoned every-body present to take inspiration from Prime Minister’s effort in achieving long pending goals and initiate a major drive for corneal donation and transplants. “Exhaustive strategy including strategic placement of collection teams in trauma centers and mortuaries needs to encouraged and that we need to set target and focus to achieve concrete results and fulfill Prime Minister’s Vision of New India by 2022, ” he added further.
Prof. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS, Dr. Atul Kumar,Chief, Rajendra Prasad Eye Center, AIIMS, Dr. Jeewan S Titiyal,Chairman, National Eye Bank
Dr. Manpreet Kaur and other doctors and officials of various medical associations and institutions also addressed the participants during the webinar besides a dedicated movie on the sensitive issues involved produced by the National Eye Bank and a detailed presentation by Dr Titiyal which highlighted 84 % utilization of the Corneas collected during the last year as the highest achieved at the Center and in the world too.
The fortnightly campaign stays alive till Sep 8, 2020 and readers can inspire others in respective networks to spread the word further for more volunteers for pledging their eyes and organs, after we have consumed their usage ttill alive!