Patna: With only about 50,000donorcorneascollectedannuallyagainstanestimatedrequirementof2.5lakhtotreatcornealblindnessinIndia, AIIMS-Patna on Wednesday intensified its appeal for eye donation by organising an awareness walk as part of the 41stNationalEyeDonationFortnight, being observed till Sept 8.The awareness march was organised by the department of ophthalmology to promote eye donation and highlight the shortage of donor corneas in the country.Head of the department, Dr Amit Raj, said the wide gap between demand and availability of donor corneas underscored the need for greater public participation in eye donation. He said the AIIMS-Patna Eye Bank had received 112 eye donations since its establishment in May 2025.Executive director Brig Dr Raju Agrawal urged people to come forward and pledge their eyes after death to help bridge the demand-supply gap. He also lauded the AIIMS-Patna Eye Bank for achieving the milestone of 112 donations within a short period.Dean (academic) Punam Bhadani and dean (student affairs) Ruchi Sinha stressed the need for collective efforts to increase eye donation and reduce the burden of corneal blindness.Medical superintendent Dr Prashant Kumar Singh said greater awareness about corneal donation was essential and appealed to people to support the cause. He also appreciated the department’s efforts in providing corneal transplant services.Faculty members, resident doctors, nursing staff, eye bank counsellors and other employees of the institute participated in the awareness walk.
