Eye donation at the eye bank named after later Kannada thespian Rajkumar has gone up by a whopping 400 per cent after the actor's eyes were donated to it in keeping with his last wish.
BANGALORE: Eye donation at the eye bank named after later Kannada thespian Rajkumar has gone up by a whopping 400 per cent after the actor's eyes were donated to it in keeping with his last wish.
"Earlier, we received around 50-60 eye donations on an annual basis, but last year we received 240 donations, an increase of 400 per cent. This is the Rajkumar effect", Dr K Bhujang Shetty, Medical Director of Narayana Nethralaya, which runs the Rajkumar Eye bank, said.
He was speaking at a function to mark the launch of the Dr Rajkumar trust which coincided with the 79th birth anniversary of Karnataka's celluloid star.
"Today we have no waiting list of those wanting an eye donation. Earlier, it took around three to six months to get an eye donor. On Tuesday anyone wishing for a cornea transplant can register at our hospital and get it done in a week," he said.
Responding to Rajkumar's call to pledge their eyes, "several of his fans came forward after his death and pledged their eyes as a mark of love to the late hero, but we just hope that the momentum continues", Shetty said.
Rajkumar's actor-son Raghavendra said: "my father was very naive. The moment he learnt that eyes could be donated, he right away offered to donate his eyes, since he felt he had seen enough. The doctor then explained that the eyes could be donated only after death. At this juncture, he not only pledged his eyes but also that of the entire family.
"My father's philosophy was that a man was of no use to others when he is alive, then why should anyone object to donating his eyes and being of some use at least after death." Rajkumar was so moved by the plight of those waiting for vision and an eye donation, that he pledged his eyes way back in 1994 and reiterated his wish before dying, Dr Shetty said.
The Rajkumar Eye Bank started functioning in 1994 itself.
On an average approximately around 10,000 to 15000 people have donated their eyes all over India, which meant a total of 30,000 eyes as against the approximate death figure of around eight to nine million in an year, Shetty said.
"Roughly around two million people were still awaiting a cornea transplant, which means we need more eyes", he said.
In keeping with the late actor's wishes, the trust set up by Rajkumar's family, would focus on eye donation in the first phase and later move on to education and culture.
"We have tied up with Narayana Nethralaya to identify the poor waiting for an eye donation and to arrange for the same. We are also planning to set up a mobile van which would have eye operating facilities. The van would move from village to village to conduct eye operations", Raghavendra said.
The trust would also focus on eye donation awareness campaigns and measures to ensure that the poor elderly patients were able to undergo cataract operations, another major reason leading to blindness among the aged.
The trust has launched a website to inform his fans on the activities of the trust, he said.
Replying to a question on setting up of the Rajkumar memorial, he said, "So far we are satisfied with the government's decision towards setting up of the memorial and sanction of Rs three crore for the purpose. We only want the matter to be expedited."
The memorial, to be set up on Rajkumar's burial site, would house an auditorium. We also want a museum, exhibiting all the information on the actor, he added.
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