National Eye Donation Fortnight 2019 is celebrated from Sunday (25th of August) to the Sunday (8th of September).
National Eye Donation Fortnight was observed in India from 25th August to 8th September to raise public awareness about eye donation after death. Several campaigns encouraged and motivated people to donate their eyes after their demise.
Eye Banking Association of India, a nonprofit society mainly comprising of Ophthalmologists and eye bankers, had organized several eye donation camps in collaboration with hospitals across the nation. It also encouraged people for eye donation through various communication channels.
The Twitter handle of the Ministry of Health India displayed the message – “Loss of sight due to corneal blindness can be cured through #EyeDonation. The cornea of donor after his/her death can be surgically transplanted to the patient.”
Narayan Netralaya Bengaluru had organized events all over the country. The inaugural event began at Bengaluru on Saturday, 7th September 2019. The program is named “Accelerated Laksha Laqshya”, and aims to achieve at least one lakh corneal transplants by 2020.
Several medical colleges across the country have organized rallies to promote eye donation. Members of public and school students also participated in the rallies.
National Eye Donation Fortnight
The National Eye Donation Fortnight is celebrated every year from 25th August to 8th September. The celebration of the great campaign is go through very well in order to promote the eye donation process as well as to put forth the significant message to the people for being the special part of eye donation or eye pledging for giving normal life to the common public.
It is organized by the Tiruvallur District Education Department which get started through the human chain and school children’s rally begins from the government school named Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Government Girls High School to the TV Nagar Educational Society School.
The children of the school do march on the Ambattur roads by getting a poster in their hands and say orally the reasons of eye donation. They cover a highly crowded area for drawing more people attention and interest as well as fine media coverage to distribute their messages to all over the world.
The campaign is greatly initiated by the Dr. Rama Rajagopal (a Deputy Director of Corneal Services from Sankara Nethralaya) from the Suryan FM radio channel at the day of National Eye Donation (8th of September). He spread a real message to the people to drive out the myths of eye donation from their mind and aware the people about the decisive need of the eye to the general public. The message is also publish in the popular Tamil periodicals such as the Kumudham Snehidhi, Otunar Osai and etc.
To reach the message of the campaign to the mass public, members of the CU Shah Eye bank distributes the message (by the help of the popular weekly Tamil magazine named Anandha Vikatan) to the Corporates to increase awareness to a large number of people. Creating the awareness of eye donation to the large number of people may fulfill the critical needs of the eye pledge.
According to the report it is noted that one of the five blind people of the world is from India means at least 46 lakhs of Indians are suffering from the corneal blindness whereas the rate of eye donation is only 35,000 eyes which cannot fulfill the need of healthy eyes to the common people. There is a large gap between the process of demand and supply of the eyes.
The National Fortnight on Eye Donation is celebrated nationally under the National Program for Control of Blindness. According to the medical history it is observed that about 20,000 new cases of the eye blindness are added every year.
The majority of blind people are young (due to injuries, infections, deficiency of Vitamin ‘A’, malnutrition, congenital or other factors) and their eye sight can be restored through corneal transplantation only. So it has become very necessary to educate the people of the society including both young and old to finish the gap between demand and supply of the cornea.
To increase the mass education and awareness, the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology has established a control room where doctors and paramedical staffs provide the detail information concerning the eye bank.
In the Varanasi city, it is held under the Varanasi Eye Bank Society. A human chain at Lahurabir Varanasi is made by the students from the Arya Mahila Inter College and volunteers from the social organizations to spot the launch of 25th National Eye donation fortnight. The National Eye donation fortnight of the 2013 will be celebrated from Sunday 25th August to the Sunday 8th September.
> The theme of 2013 was “Motivation for Eye Donation”.
> The theme of 2014 was “Eye Donation-A Gift of Sight”.
> The theme of 2015 was” Mission to Vision”.
> The theme of 2017 was “Joy in giving – Donate Eyes”.