With the world being left with nearly 40 million blind, including 15 million in India, an awareness campaign on the importance of eye donation was organised by a city- based social organisation, involving doctors, engineers, educationists and social workers on Monday. Those running the organisation claimed that they have helped collection of many eyes from the deceased by contacting the family members and spreading awareness on the importance of eye donation.
MlA from Ranipur Adesh Chauahan said that it is a noble mission to help the blind get back the light of their eyes. President of Divya Prem Sewa Mission Ashish Gautam said that the tradition of the saints pledging their organs after death is a long-continuing one. “No one knows when the tradition started.
The example of Rishi Dadhichi is before us. We all must come forward for the noble cause,” he said. Sanjay Chaturvedi, another speaker, cited Sri lanka which provides corneas to 57 countries of the world.
The convenor of the programme Shyam Sissodiya highlighted the situations in which eyes cannot be donated like when the people are afflicted with AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, Rabies, Septicaemia, acute leukaemia and other infectious diseases like Meningitis and Encephalitis.
The president of the organisation Neha Malik said that the inspiration had come from her father-in-law when he passed away.
“Since we have approached hundreds of people through camps and appealed to them to fill forms for eye donation. The initiative is yielding result as more and more people are coming forward to pledge eyes on death to help the blind get back the light of their eyes,” she said.