{
  "id": 5748810,
  "title": "Eye donation in India: current scenario and way forward",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/eye-donation-in-india-current-scenario-and-way-forward",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-05T08:46:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu Health",
    "slug": "the-hindu-health",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/eye-donation-in-india-current-scenario-and-way-forward/article71423315.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Eye donation is considered a highly significant act, as one donor can potentially restore sight to two individuals through corneal transplantation. India has made notable advancements in the field of eye banking, with 396 functional eye banks now operating across the nation. The number of corneal collections has also risen, from 62,370 in the 2022-23 fiscal year to 69,848 in the 2024-25 period. However, the demand for donor tissue far outstrips the available supply. Currently, around 2 million people in India suffer from corneal blindness, yet only 40,000 corneal transplants are performed annually. The government plays a pivotal role in bolstering the eye donation system via the National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI). This includes funding for eye bank infrastructure and equipment, training for ophthalmologists and technicians working in eye banks, promotion of eye donation, and provision of corneal storage media. Government-run hospitals can further enhance donation rates by establishing Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programmes (HCRP) and incorporating eye donation into standard end-of-life counseling. Non-governmental organizations and service organizations are equally vital in raising awareness, debunking misconceptions, encouraging pledge sign-ups, and most importantly, providing counseling to families during the grieving process. Entities such as eye bank networks, Lions Clubs, and other community-based groups can disseminate the message of eye donation to schools, colleges, workplaces, and rural areas. Private eye hospitals and institutions can further support these efforts by either setting up new eye banks or enhancing existing ones, developing efficient corneal retrieval networks, upholding stringent standards for tissue evaluation and preservation, and providing advanced corneal transplantation procedures. Recent endeavors, such as the expansion of the National Eye Bank at AIIMS, Delhi through collaborations with additional hospitals, underscore the potential of collaborative retrieval networks. In conclusion, the trajectory of eye donation in India hinges on a robust public-private-NGO collaboration. The key is to translate awareness into timely family consent, consent into retrieval, and retrieved tissue into high-quality transplantation. Building a strong chain in this regard will be crucial to curbing the prevalence of corneal blindness and making the gift of sight a reality for a larger segment of the Indian populace. The ultimate aim is to transform the noble act of eye donation into the life-changing gift of sight. Each donated cornea embodies a legacy of compassion, enabling one person's life to illuminate another's.",
  "summary": "The future of eye donation in India lies in a strong public–private–NGO partnership. Awareness must translate into timely family consent, consent into retrieval, and retrieved tissue into high-quality transplantation",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Hindu - Sci-Tech",
        "title": "Eye donation in India: current scenario and way forward",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/eye-donation-in-india-current-scenario-and-way-forward-5749242",
        "published": "2026-09-05T08:46:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}