At 1,844 corneas, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) recorded its highest ever donations in 2017, according to the data from the National Eye Bank. The donor corneas are transplanted in people with corneal blindness.
The National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) estimates that there are around 1,20,000 corneal blind persons in the country and about 20,000 to 30,000 cases get added every year.
Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, which runs the National Eye Bank in AIIMS, also recorded a utilisation rate higher than the country’s average.
This increase in the number of donations and utilisation is a result of the new Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme (HCRP), officials said.
Read more of this positive news in a report by Anonna Dutt published in Hindustan Times....
