Pune: PBMAS’s HV Desai Eye Hospital under the aegis of Poona Ophthalmological Society and Maharashtra Ophthalmological Society will host the Tenth National Conference on Cornea and Eye Banking - an annual convention of Eye Banks Association of India (EBAI). The conference is being held in the city on September 8 and September 9.

Col Dr Madan Deshpande, Trustee PBMA and Medical Director of HV Desai Eye Hospital said that National Conference in Pune will definitely boost the efforts of eye banking and motivate the western region to collect more tissues and reduce the corneal blindness.

“We have emerged as the highest volume quality eye bank in the region and in making coordinated efforts to get support for the government and private hospitals. We are collecting over 1,000 tissues per year and utilisation is over 70 per cent post the introduction of Hospital Cornea Retrieval Program (HCRP) which help us to get more young donors, so we are doing more corneal transplants for children and young recipients. So far we have collected a total of 7,210 and have done 3,455 transplants,” said Dr Deshpande.

Dr Rajesh Kapse said that corneal blindness is the world’s fourth common cause of blindness.
“Today, there is an estimated 1.1 million Indians awaiting a corneal transplant - many of whom require transplants in both the eyes. Their sight restoration is dependent on timely access to suitable corneal tissue donated by family members of the deceased. After demise, a person’s family may decide to donate eyes or the person himself/herself may have expressed his/her wish to donate eyes and the family members may be fulfilling the last wish for the benefit of the society to mitigate the difficulties of the persons suffering from avoidable and curable blindness,” said Dr Kapse.