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An eye for an eye...

By on November 13, 2013

‘... and may the whole world have sight’ is probably the line the Rotary Club of Panaji Eye Bank Trust subscribes to as it urges people to pledge their eyes so that someone else might see

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), corneal blindness is the fourth leading cause of global blindness after cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (loss of vision due to retinal damage). “In India, out of the 15 million Indians that suffer from blindness, 3 million suffer due to corneal blindness, every 5 seconds 1 person goes blind, every 1 minute 1 child goes blind and this is expected to double within the next two decades. The State of Goa has a population of 1.5 million and with the population of adjoining villages and towns, about 3 million people have no facility to donate eyes or corneal transplant surgery. The President of Rotary Club of Panaji for the year 2006-2007 Vijay Priyolkar initiated the idea of the Eye Bank and started the procedures to avail the statutory permissions required,” explains Gaurish Dhond, former President of the Rotary Club of Panaji and Chairman of the Eye Bank Trust. It was only in the year 2008-2009 under the leadership of Gaurish Dhond as the Club President the Rotary Eye Bank was commenced and was finally inaugurated on March 7, 2009 at Vrundavan Hospital and Research Centre Mapusa by Vishwajit Rane, the Health Minister at that time. The founder Chairman Dr Avinash Bhonsle with assistance of Anil Sardesai as the Secretary of Eye Bank Trust took the initiative forward and and saw to it that the Rotary Eye Bank was known in every nook & corner of Goa.

Read the full article in 'Viva Goa' magazine copy.
Viva Goa magazine is now on stands. Available at all major book stalls and supermarkets in Goa.