Ranchi: Regional Institute of Ophthalmology (RIO) at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) has recorded 299 eye donations and performed 188 corneal transplants since 2024, reflecting growing awareness about eye donation.RIO head Dr Sunil Kumar said 87 eye donations were recorded in 2024, followed by 142 in 2025 and 70 till Aug 31 this year. “Of the 188 corneal transplants, 55 were performed in 2024, 88 in 2025 and 45 this year till Aug,” he said.Kumar attributed the rise in donations to sustained awareness campaigns by the health department and RIO. Donated corneas are used to restore vision in people suffering from corneal blindness.As part of the 41st eye donation fortnight, which began on Aug 25 and will conclude on Sept 8, RIO is organising awareness programmes on its premises and encouraging people to pledge their eyes.“RIO has been receiving at least 30 eye donation pledges daily since the fortnight began, indicating growing public willingness to support corneal transplantation,” Kumar said.Dr Manisha Kujur, state nodal officer of the State Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation (SOTTO), said pledges for organ and tissue donation remained comparatively low in Jharkhand.“To address this, grief counsellors at Rims encourage the families of patients declared dead following brain or cardiac death to donate their corneas. Many families have come forward,” she said.Kujur said the Rims eye bank had an adequate stock of corneas. “Patients requiring a transplant could visit RIO for assessment and treatment,” she added.In June, the health, medical education and family welfare department authorised three more hospitals, including a private facility, to conduct corneal transplants. This took the number of authorised hospitals in Jharkhand to 11.Kumar, however, said only two facilities — RIO at Rims and Kashyap Eye Hospital in Ranchi — were actively performing corneal transplants. “All medical colleges in Jharkhand should have corneal transplantation facilities,” he said.
