Nethradhama Super Speciality Eye Hospital is actively participating in the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight (25 August to 8 September), an initiative led by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, to accelerate eye donation pledges and bridge the severe gap between the supply and demand for donor Corneas in India.
India is home to approximately 1.1 million people living with orneal blindness, yet only around 25,000 to 30,000 corneal transplants are performed each year. Despite 396 functional eye banks across the country and a 12 per cent rise in Cornea collections from 62,370 in 2022-23 to 69,848 in 2024-25 as recorded by the National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment, the gap between need and availability remains wide.
As part of this year’s fortnight, Nethradhama is intensifying its public awareness efforts through community rallies, eye donation camps, talks at schools, colleges and corporates, and digital and on-ground myth-busting campaigns. The hospital also offers online pledge forms, e-pledge cards, a 24×7 eye bank hotline, and trained personnel for timely tissue collection across the city.
Dr. Sushmitha Sriganesh, Executive Director, Shraddha Eye Bank, and Chief Medical Officer, Shraddha Eye Care Trust, pointed to awareness and public understanding as the core of the problem. “India continues to face a significant burden of corneal blindness, with donor Cornea availability falling well short of the need. While the eye-banking ecosystem has strengthened, greater public awareness and informed family conversations are critical to closing this gap,” she said.
She also addressed the misconceptions that continue to hold potential donors back, and said: “Many people still fear that eye donation will disfigure the face, believe that only younger people can donate, or assume that conditions such as diabetes, hypertension or previous Cataract surgery make donation impossible. These are misconceptions. The eye bank carefully assesses the suitability of donated tissue, and eye donation is a dignified and respectful process.” Shraddha Eye Bank’s guidance further clarifies that spectacle wearers and people who have had LASIK surgery can also donate.
Beyond dispelling myths, Nethradhama emphasises that a pledge is only as strong as the family’s awareness of it. Dr. Supriya Sriganesh, Consultant, Cataract and Refractive Surgeon, and Executive Director, Nethradhama Super Speciality Eye Hospital, underscored the role families play in making donation possible. “Pledging your eyes is only the beginning. It is extremely important to tell your family about your decision so they can honour that wish when the time comes. A formal pledge is not the only route to donation; even if someone has not formally pledged, their family can still come forward and give consent if they know their loved one wished to donate, subject to the applicable process and medical assessment,” she said.
She added that the process itself is far simpler than most people assume, and said: “There is no cost involved for the donor family, and the retrieval process generally takes only 15 to 20 minutes, without significantly delaying funeral arrangements. Families should contact the nearest eye bank as soon as possible after death, ideally within six to eight hours, to enable timely assessment and retrieval. Ultimately, eye donation is a gift that you can continue to give even after death. All it takes is a decision to donate, a conversation with your family, and a timely call to the eye bank can give someone else the possibility of seeing again.”
Eye donation in Bangalore can be pledged online via Nethradhama’s Eye Donation page and registered with Shraddha Eye Bank, Jayanagar. As National Eye Donation Fortnight brings the issue into focus, Nethradhama continues to advocate for awareness that moves beyond one-time pledges and becomes part of everyday family conversations, so that a decision made in one home can become the gift of sight in another.
For pledges and enquiries:
Call: +91-8026634200
Email: eyebank@nethradhama.org
