SHILLONG: In observance of the 32nd National Fortnight on Eye Donation, the office of the Director of Health Services (MI) in collaboration with the Meghalaya Blindness Control Society on Friday organised an awareness meet on eye donation in the city.
Additional Chief Secretary P. W. Ingty graced the programme as Chief Guest.
Addressing the gathering, Ingty informed that there are approximately 1.2 lakh corneal blind people and many more with visual impairment due to corneal diseases in the country and about 20,000 new cases get added every year and majority of them are young and their sight can be restored only by corneal transplantation.
Though there has been progress in eye donation, but only over 65,000 eyes are collected every year with the efforts of all Eye Banks working in Government and Non-Government sectors in the country, he added.
Earlier, Dr. A. K. Das, Retd. DHS (MI) gave a speech on ”Organ Donation”, while Dr. P. K. Goswami, Head of Department of Ophthalmology, NEIGRIHMS and Dr. J. V. Basaiawmoit, Director, Bansara Eye Care Centre gave a power-point presentation on ”Eye Donation & Eye Bank” and “Preventive Aspects of Corneal Blindness” respectively.
During the programme, students from Bansara Institute of Ophthalmic Sciences performed a short skit on Eye Donation.
