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Home > Mumbai > Mumbai News > Article > City responsible for bulk of eye donations in state

City responsible for bulk of eye donations in state

Updated on: 24 February,2011 06:26 AM IST  | 
Priyanka Vora |

1,737 of the 4,947 eye donations in state came from Mumbai; donations from rural areas are low owing to lower literacy rates

City responsible for bulk of eye donations in state

1,737 of the 4,947 eye donations in state came from Mumbai; donations from rural areas are low owing to lower literacy rates


Mumbaikars have once again lived up to their reputation of being overly generous with the city, topping the charts with the most eye donors in the state.

In 2010, Mumbaikars donated 1,737 of the total 4,947 eye donations that took place in Maharashtra.


Doctors believe that a law should be passed where eyes of a deceased should be donated

According to a recent review by the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) under the Directorate of Health Services (DHS), after Mumbai, Pune and Nashik fared well by donating 1,432 and 1,506 corneas respectively.

"Mumbai usually tops otheru00a0 cities when it comes to eye donations as it has a higher literacy rate and there is also a strong presence of NGOs, which motivate people to donate eyes.
u00a0
Moreover, there is easy access to eye banks," said Dr Ashok Podar, joint director, NPCB.

The Latur circle has contributed only 12 corneas in a span of one year, while Akola, Aurangabad and Kolhapur circles have contributed 266, 300 and 352 respectively.

However, lower numbers in rural areas of the state indicate that the concept of eye donation is not yet easily accepted.

Refractive eye surgeon, Dr Ambarish Darak who has also pledged his eyes, said, "Many reputed institutes in the country are now using a single donated cornea to benefit three individuals.

Surgeons are devising better techniques to benefit more people as there are large numbers waiting for one such donation."

u00a0According to ophthalmologists, an estimated 25,000 people are awaiting eye donations in Mumbai alone and
two lakh people in the country are dependent on cornea donation to regain sight.

Donors at present are in the age group of 18-50 years and they can donate only after death. Experts in the field suggest that accident victims are ideal donors and persons who are approaching death should also sign up.

Renowned ophthalmologist, Dr TP Lahane, said, "Though more people are pledging their eyes and even with Mumbai donating the most, it is still not enough.

I am asking the government to come up with a law similar to that in western countries, wherein the viscera is kept for analysis.

Similarly during the post mortem procedure, the eyes of the deceased should be removed for donation.
u00a0
In Sri Lanka, after an individual expires, the eyes become national property and the country exports 10,000 corneas to 65 countries each year."

He added, "An estimated 70 to 80 lakh people die every year in the country and only 49,000 eye donations take place.
u00a0
Imagine if this entire population would have donated their eyes, how many people's sight would be restored."

Unlike Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are faring better and northern states are yet to catch up.

Though Mumbai tops the charts in eye donations, in a bid to increase its rural contribution, the Maharashtra NPCB proposes to rope in volunteers from schools in rural areas to convince people to be donors.

"We will enrol Std X students from rural areas as certified volunteers so that they can reach hospitals in case of fatal accidents occurring in the area, and convince relatives to donate the eyes of the deceased.

We will also impart training to them and provide brochures to the rural population," said Podar.

NUMBER GAME
Donations from each circle, consisting of four-five districts:
Akola: 266
Aurangabad: 300
Kolhapur: 352
Latur: 12
Mumbai: 1,737
Nagpur: 664
Nashik: 1,506
Pune: 1,432


NATIONWIDE
Chennai accounts for the most number of donations followed by Hyderabad, Mumbai andu00a0 Ahmedabad.

10,000
The number of corneas Sri Lanka exports to 65 countries each year


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