To commemorate the 41st Eye Donation Fortnight, the LV Prasad Eye Institute is organising a series of activities from August 25 to September 8 in the city, to create awareness among the public about the importance of eye donation, and to motivate people to pledge their eyes for donation, after death.Medical Director, LVPEI GMR Varalakshmi Campus, Dr. Himabindu Alluri, said that over 2 million Indians are affected by corneal blindness, while 60% of them below the age of 12. Untreated corneal blindness results in complete vision loss, resulting in increased Years Lived with Disability (YLD), adding to the emotional and economic strain on the family and community, she said.Stressing the need for significant number of eye (cornea) donations, she said that lack of awareness, along with myths and fears associated with eye donation are keeping these numbers considerably low. The current number of corneal donations in India, only meet the needs of one-fourth of the patients, she added.Dr Himabindu also said cornea collection at LVPEI happens through voluntary donations by the deceased families, at the partner hospitals and through the Hospital-based Cornea Retrieval Program (HCRP). Since 1989, the LVPEI Eye Bank Network has successfully collected over 1,70,626 donor corneas. Published - September 06, 2026 08:20 pm IST