KATHMANDU, June 8: With the rise in the number of eye donors in the country, Nepal now has become self-reliant on cornea, according to Nepal Eye Bank.

The bank's manager Shankar Narayan Nyayana said that the number of donors is on the rise thanks to positive perceptions towards eye donation lately. 

At a press meet held in the capital on Thursday, he said that the cornea are collected in the country itself unlike in the past. He added that the country is self-reliant on cornea and provides other hospitals with the cornea for transplant. 

So far, more than 100,000 donors have committed to donate their eyes posthumously while 12,000 plus have regained their sights by getting the cornea, Nyayana said. 

The bank had collected cornea for the first time in Nepal from two donors in 1994. 

Currently, the bank collects around 1,300 eye corneas each year.   

The Bank's Director Dr Lina Bajracharya said that they are counseling the donors' relatives from the temples to the hospitals to encourage them for eye donation. 

The bank has been collecting corneas from Mechi Eye Hospital, Biratnagar, Lahan, Hetauda, Bharatpur, Lumbini, Pokhara and Kailali based cornea collection centers.

During the press meet, Nyayana said that a condolence meet would be organized on coming Saturday in memory and respect of eye donors posthumously.

(RSS)

 
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