Chandigarh, August 24, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Monday urged people to pledge their eyes for donation after death, saying greater public participation was essential to bridge the shortage of corneal tissue required for transplantation.
Launching the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight, Dr Balbir Singh said the awareness campaign would be observed from August 25 to September 8 across Punjab. The Health Department will conduct intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities during the fortnight to encourage eye donation and dispel myths and superstitions associated with the process.
An eye surgeon himself, Dr Balbir Singh explained that damage to the cornea can cause corneal blindness. The transparent cornea at the front of the iris can be retrieved from a deceased donor and transplanted into a person suffering from corneal blindness through a surgical procedure known as keratoplasty.
Emphasising the importance of vision, the minister said up to 80 per cent of sensory impressions are registered through sight. He noted that corneal blindness affects many children and young adults and said one eye donation can potentially restore sight to two corneal-blind persons.
According to the minister, around 11 lakh people in India are affected by corneal blindness, with about 25,000 new cases being added annually. Against a requirement of more than one lakh corneal transplants every year, only around 25,000 are performed annually. He said India has trained surgeons and the necessary hospital infrastructure, but availability of eye tissue remains a major constraint.
Punjab currently has 13 registered eye banks and 20 registered corneal transplantation centres. A total of 1,041 keratoplasty procedures were conducted in the state during 2025-26, while 351 procedures had been performed up to July 2026.
Director Health and Family Welfare Dr Hitinder Kaur said detailed guidelines had been issued to all Civil Surgeons for the fortnight. Awareness activities will focus on who can donate eyes, how donated tissue is used and the procedure for pledging eyes.
State Programme Officer of the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) Dr Neeti Singla said people can pledge their eyes through the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) website and download the pledge certificate after registration.
Eye Donation: Key Facts
- Anyone can pledge their eyes irrespective of age, sex or blood group, subject to medical suitability at the time of death.
- Only the cornea, not the entire eye, is used for corneal transplantation.
- Corneas should generally be collected within six hours of death.
- People with diabetes or hypertension can donate their eyes.
- Eye donation is possible only after death.
- Relatives should immediately contact the nearest eye bank or eye collection centre after death.
- Even when a person has pledged their eyes, family consent is required for donation to proceed.
- Eye removal is a minor procedure and does not disfigure the donor’s face.
- Eye donation is provided free of cost to the donor’s family.
- Families should inform the eye bank of the deceased person’s wish to donate.
- An eye-bank team visits the location of the deceased to collect the eyes.
Eyes are generally not collected from donors who have died from or are infected with conditions including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B or C, sepsis, leukaemia, rabies, meningitis, encephalitis, tetanus and certain other viral diseases.
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