SHILLONG: On account of World Sight Day, 2017, the Project Vision, North East will organize “Walk for the Blind, Shillong” on October 12 with the primary objective to raise awareness on eye donation.
“Over 500 people are expected to attend the walk and 50 blind people will also participate”, Bhanwar Nain Singh Didan, President Blind Walk Shillong 2017 told reporters on Monday during a press meet.
The rally will be flagged off from Shillong Club and the route will be from the venue to Police Bazaar and back. The rally will seek to allay the myths related to eye donation.
Didian added that every community-Christian community, Rotary Club, Lions Club, Ramakrishna Mission etc., are extending their support to the campaign.
Project Vision, an organisation that works for the blind, highlighted that the World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2010 indicated that India is home to the largest number of blind people which accounts to 15 million persons.
The organisation raised the agenda of eye donation so that three million blind people could get the gift of sight through corneal transplant, which can be accomplished only through eye donation.
Project Vision is a ‘global movement’ to eliminate corneal blindness from the world in 10 years with its goal to make eye donation a globally accepted norm and practice, to provide affordable eye care facilities for the rural population.
Deepa L Khonglah, Faculty of Bansara Institute of Ophthalmic Sciences (BIOS) informed that corneal blindness is the third leading kind of blindness in the world.