Officials and participants of the awareness programme on eye donation at Police Colony, Dimapur on August 26.
Dimapur, September 1 (MExN): In commemoration of the 38th National Fortnight on Eye Donation from August 25 to September 8, Dimapur District National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) held an awareness programme on eye donation at Police Colony, Dimapur on August 26. The programme was organized during a Combined Fellowship Service, a combination of with seven different Fellowships. A press release received here stated.
Dr Asonla Aying, District Nodal Officer, NPCB Dimapur highlighted the main objective of NPCB which is to reduce the blindness prevalence from 1.4% to 0.3%. She stated that eye donation can help in achieving the NPCB’s objective to reduce blindness in the country. She stated that there has been progress in eye donation over the last few years however there is a large gap between the demand and the donation.
She also highlighted that through the observation of Eye Donation Fortnight, the programme aims to create awareness on the importance of eye donation and also debunk various myths and misinformation related to eye donation. She sensitized on the procedure of removing cornea and stressed that there is no disfigurement on the face during the removal.
She further stated that though a person may have pledged his eye, after his death, the consent of the family members will be taken before the procedure. Even without an eye donation pledge, after a person dies, his family members can pledge his eyes for donation. The corneas must be removed within 4-6 hours after death to maintain their viability for transplantation.
The members of the fellowship assured that they will lend their support during the campaign by further spreading the awareness on the importance of eye donation. Similar awareness on the importance of eye donation will be carried out during the fortnight, it stated.
