Udupi: Artists Create Captivating Sand Sculpture to Promote Eye Donation

Pics: Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi(VA)

Udupi, Oct 17: As a part of ‘World Sight Day 2011’, a programme was organized by ophthalmology department of Kasturba Hospital Manipal at Malpe beach on Sunday October 16. The programme was organized in association with Syndicate Bank.

An Eye donation awareness sand sculpture was made on the occasion by Manipal sand artists Srinath Manipal, Venki Palimaru and Ravi Hirebettu.

Dr Pulgaunkar medical superintendent of hospital, Dr Lavanya Rai, head of the dept of ophthalmology were present on the occasion. Eye pledge forms were distributed to the tourists and locals at the beach.
 
There are over 40 million blind people in the world, among which 15 millions are Indians. Eye donation is an act of donating one’s eyes after his/her death. Only corneal blinds can be benefited through this process not other blinds. It is an act of charity, purely for the benefit of the society and is totally voluntary. It is done after death. The eye donation of the deceased can be authorized by the next of kith & kin even if the deceased did not pledge to donate his / her eyes before death.
 
World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment and rehabilitation of the visually impaired held on the second Thursday in October. World Sight Day is observed around the world by all partners involved in preventing visual impairment or restoring sight. It is also the main advocacy event for the prevention of blindness and for "Vision 2020: The Right to Sight", a global effort to prevent blindness created by WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.