Organ donation gives vision to 2

Tiruchirapalli, Nov 1 (UNI) Maria Arokiya Albert (23) of Thanjavur and Senthil Kumar (30) of Chennai have got their eyesight back following corneal transplanation performed at the city-based Vasan Eye Care Hospital here.

The transplant became possible due to the relatives of a road accident victim, who donated his eyes after declaring brain dead.

Hospital Medical Director R Srinivasan and Ophthalmologic Surgeon Shibu Verkey who performed the transplantation yesterday, told a press conference that the procedures were performed on the two youths who suffered from corneal ulcer.

The number of people who required corneal transplant had touched 1.5 million in India whereas only 30,000 corneal donations were made with 8,000 from Tamil Nadu alone, they said and called for greater awareness among the people on eye donation.

The donor, Tamilselvan, a grocery shop owner of suburban Neithalur met with a road accident on October 26 when he was on his way to his native village along with his wife Rani on two-wheeler.

He was admitted to the city-based ABC Hospital where the doctors declared him ''brain dead.'' The victim's wife and relatives came forward to donate the vital organs of Tamilselvan to the needy.

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