Overview
India’s eye donation can restore sight to two people. The country now has 396 functional eye banks and collected 69,848 corneas in 2024‑25, up from 62,370 in 2022‑23. Yet, with an estimated 2 million people blind due to corneal opacity and only 40,000 transplants performed annually, the supply‑demand gap remains huge.
Key Developments
- Increase in corneal collections to 69,848 in 2024‑25.
- Expansion of the NPCBVI to fund eye‑bank infrastructure, training and storage media.
- Promotion of HCRP in government hospitals for timely retrieval.
- Private sector initiatives such as the expansion of the National Eye Bank at AIIMS, Delhi through hospital partnerships.
- Active involvement of NGOs, Lions Clubs and community groups in awareness and counselling.
Important Facts
• 396 eye banks are operational across the country.
• Corneal collections rose by 7,478 between 2022‑23 and 2024‑25.
• Only 40,000 corneal transplants are performed each year, leaving a shortfall of over 1.9 million potential beneficiaries.
• Stakeholders include the central government (through NPCBVI), NGOs, private eye hospitals, and community organisations.
Exam Relevance
The eye‑donation ecosystem touches multiple GS papers. Understanding eye banks helps answer questions on health infrastructure. The role of PPP illustrates governance models for social welfare. Data on blind‑person statistics are useful for questions on public health indicators and policy effectiveness.
Way Forward
To bridge the gap, the following steps are essential:
- Strengthen HCRP in all government hospitals to ensure prompt family consent and tissue retrieval.
- Scale up awareness campaigns in schools, colleges and workplaces, leveraging NGOs and community clubs.
- Enhance the quality of storage media and training for eye‑bank technicians under the NPCBVI umbrella.
- Formalise PPP agreements that define roles, funding, and performance metrics for private eye hospitals.
- Introduce incentives for families who consent to donation and for hospitals achieving high retrieval rates.
By creating a seamless chain—from awareness to consent, retrieval, preservation, and transplantation—India can significantly reduce corneal blindness and turn each donated eye into a lasting legacy of compassion.