The Coimbatore Society of Ophthalmic Surgeons (CSOS), in association with the Tamil Nadu Ophthalmic Association (TNOA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA), organised an eye donation awareness walkathon in the city on Monday to encourage people to pledge their eyes for donation and help bridge the shortage of corneal tissue for transplantation.The walkathon, titled ‘Walk for Sight – Eye Donation Walkathon’, was held with the message ‘Be the Light in Someone’s Darkness’. Coimbatore District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar flagged off the walk at Race Course.The organisers said there continued to be a significant gap between the number of people awaiting corneal transplantation and the availability of donated corneal tissue. Greater public awareness and more eye donation pledges could help address the shortage and enable more people with corneal blindness to regain their vision.Dr. Shreesh Kumar Kodavoor, president of CSOS and Associate Medical Director of The Eye Foundation, Coimbatore, said misconceptions and hesitation surrounding eye donation needed to be addressed through sustained public awareness. He urged more families to come forward and pledge their eyes.According to the organisers, a single eye donor could potentially help restore sight to up to four people in suitable cases, as different layers of donated corneal tissue could be used for different recipients. Published - August 31, 2026 06:41 pm IST