Gujarat Celebrates 39th Eye Donation Fortnight

Gandhinagar : Gujarat is celebrating the 39th Eye Donation Fortnight statewide until September 8th, with the noble aim of bringing light to the lives of the visually impaired.

Over the last decade, an average of 7 lakh cataract surgeries have been performed annually in the state. Additionally, the state has achieved a leading position by performing over 10 thousand cataract surgeries per 10 lakh population, highlighting its commitment to eye health. In February 2022, the Gujarat government accelerated the “Cataract Blindness Backlog-Free Gujarat” campaign, transforming it into a major initiative, and making Gujarat the first state in the country to do so. As part of the “Cataract Blindness Backlog-Free Gujarat” program, in January 2022, special training was provided to 1,476 medical officers working at primary health centres, 333 urban health centres, 347 community health centres, and over 50,000 ASHA workers across the state. Additionally, each primary health centre in the state has been linked with one of the following: the state’s Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, 22 medical colleges, 22 district hospitals, 36 taluka-level hospitals, or one of 128 voluntary organizations.

Additionally, in government hospitals and voluntary organizations associated with the National Program for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment in the state, cataract surgeries are provided free of cost to all patients in need. These surgeries use the advanced phacoemulsification technique along with state-of-the-art hydrophobic intraocular lenses. In private hospitals, the cost of such surgeries is estimated to be around ₹60,000 to ₹80,000.

Gujarat Leads in Cataract Surgeries

Since 2022, the central government has launched the “Rashtriya Netra Jyoti Abhiyan” aimed at performing cataract surgeries on citizens above 50 years of age who suffer from blindness or severe visual impairment due to cataracts. Under this program, Gujarat has achieved remarkable success. In the year 2022-23, against the target of 1,26,300 surgeries, the state performed a total of 6,36,428 cataract surgeries, exceeding the target by over 500%. Similarly, in 2023-24, Gujarat achieved first place nationwide by performing over 6,10,400 surgeries, surpassing the target of 1,51,700 by more than 400%. Additionally, by 2024-25, by July 2024, the state had already achieved 86% of its target, with 1,52,720 surgeries completed against the target of 1,76,900.

Post-Operation Follow-Up

Under the “Blindness-Free Gujarat” initiative, a web portal has been launched for primary registration, referral services, operation services, and follow-up data entry for each patient. The web address is https://cataractblindfree.gujarat.gov.in Additionally, every patient undergoes follow-up checks at intervals of 5 times over 40 days post-operation.

Gujarat’s Leadership in Eye Donation and Corneal Transplantation

Gujarat is also leading in eye donation and corneal transplantation. From 2020 to July 2024, a total of 20,818 eye donations and 4,701 corneal transplants were conducted in the state. This includes 2,536 eye donations and 626 corneal transplants in 2020-21, 4,655 eye donations and 1,020 corneal transplants in 2021-22, 5,441 eye donations and 1,121 corneal transplants in 2022-23, and 6,082 eye donations and 1,454 corneal transplants in 2023-24. Additionally, in the current year up to July 2024, 2,104 eye donations and 480 corneal transplants have been performed, further solidifying Gujarat’s position as a leader in this field.

All optometrists serving at government hospitals have also been provided with 15 days of certified training for eye donation.