Media Release

Mangaluru, Sep 1: The blind population in the world is around 500 lac and India accounts for 100 lac. Nearly 25 lac people are suffering from corneal blindness out of the 100 lac blind population of India. The corneal blind population can regain their vision through cornea grafting. In India alone, the number of corneal blind people is increasing by nearly 20 thousand every year. While the number of people waiting for cornea grafting is 25 lac, a meager 1,500 cornea graftings are performed in the entire country in a year.

The National Eye Donation Fortnight is celebrated from August 25 to September 8. The core objective of the eye donation campaign is to promote the eye donation process as well as to put forth the significant message to the people to be special part of the eye donation or eye plede in order to give normal life to the common public.

On the occasion of National Eye Donation Fortnight, A J Institue of Medical Sciences & Research Centre (AJIMS&RC) in association with South Kanara Ophthalmic Society (SKOS) and SAKSHAMA is organizing a walkathon on Friday September 2 to create awareness on eye donation. The walkathon will be flagged off at 7.00 am at MCC and will proceed to AJIMS&RC campus and will culminate at A J Institute of Dental Sciences (AJIDS) auditorium followed by the pledge and swearing in ceremony.

For queries if any, please call 98802 19903.

Dr Sudheer Hegde
Professor & HOD, President
Dept of Ophthalmology, SKOS
AJIMS & RC

Or

Vinod Shenoy
Vice president
South Karnataka
SAKSHAMA