Doctors in Tamil Nadu have expressed concerns over a sharp decline in eye donation in the last one and a half years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
An eye donation from a deceased person can restore the sight of a corneal blind person. However, lack of awareness, myths and fear associated with Covid-19 and the government’s ban on eye donation has led to the complete halt in eye donation programmes. Doctors say many are reluctant to go near the bodies and relatives of donors too do not cooperate for the donation procedure.
Eye specialist Nivedita said, “at the beginning of 2019, around 1,350 eyes were received per month from the deceased in Chennai. But during the period when Covid-19 was at its peak in April 2020, there was a crucial situation in which one could not even get eyes from the deceased. As the situation seems more stable now, we obtain 250 to 300 eyes per month.”
Obtaining eye donation is much smoother for those who have died of other diseases and have received treatment for Covid-19. Doctors, therefore, urge people to be aware of this.
The number of eye donors has dropped nearly five times over the past one and a half years warns Nivedita. “The number of people in the waitlist of eye donations has now tripled. However, it is difficult to predict how many days it will take for the number of eye donors to increase and return to the old level”, she said.
Similarly, a recent study conducted by a private Chennai hospital revealed that there had been a 25 per cent rise in cases of myopia among children in the last two years. In fact, the study further stated that those kids who spend too much time online have a five times higher risk of developing myopia. Furthermore, it revealed that myopia has increased by 100 per cent on an annual basis. The study was conducted in association with the campaign ‘Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month’, observed every year during August.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment