35,000 people in Maharashtra need eyes: Dr Lahane

Mumbai, Sep 7 (UNI) To reduce the gap between the people in need of eyes and those willing to donate, it is necessary to bring awareness about eye donation, according to an ophthalmologist.

In Maharashtra, 35,000 people needed eyes and only 10,000 to 15,000 had been donated for corneal transplant. To meet the gap, more and more people should donate their eyes, Dr Tatyarao Lahane, Head of Ophthalmology Department in J J Hospital in an interview, which will be broadcast from all the centres of Akashwani today and tomorrow between 0720 hrs and 0735 hrs.

He said in accidents, many times head or eye injury caused blindness. The only remedy for such blindness was corneal transplant But corneal transplant and it was possible only if eyes were available. Eyes are donated posthumously. If the eyes of a dead person were removed immediately after his death, then only the eyes were useful for corneal transplant.

Only 22,000 eyes were donated in a year, whereas 75,000 to one lakh corneas were needed every year, he said.

To donate one's eyes, an eye donor should first fill a form. If he had not filled it, then the deceased person's relatives who were willing to donate the dead person's eyes should immediately inform their wish to Government Eye-bank or Registered Private Eye-bank as eyes could only be removed within six hours after death, he added.

UNI