MADURAI
People who donated their eyes and other organs were real heroes because they never expected anything for their service, said N. Venkatesh Prajna, Ophthalmology Director, Aravind Eye Hospitals.
He was addressing a group of volunteers who had pledged to donate their eyes as part of an event held by Madurai Public Relation Officers Federation on Saturday.
Dr. Prajna said he was appreciative of the well-educated youth of Tamil Nadu who were willing to donate their organs. “Until five years ago, Tamil Nadu was nowhere close to being on top with respect to eye donation. We used to get eyes from Sri Lanka as it is common practice of Buddhists to donate their eyes. With help from non-governmental organisations, awareness and education, the government was able to take this critical step forward and have more families engaged in this service,” he said.
He said recipients of eyes were usually from low socio-economic backgrounds and feared paying heavy medical bills. “Corneal ulcer, a common phenomenon among agricultural labourers, happens when dust settles in the eye. The infection never heals and one must undergo a corneal replacement. These labourers usually cannot afford to pay huge amounts for operations. Those who donate their eyes do service to the poorest,” he said. He encouraged them to donate other organs too.
Federation president J. Murali said they would work towards serving society. Secretary S.G. Ramanathan said their six-month-old Federation would work towards uplifting more people in the long run.
