India has skilled eye surgeons, advanced technology and specialised centres capable of performing corneal transplants. But for thousands of people waiting to regain their sight, the biggest problem remains the shortage of suitable donor corneas.
Data speaks: India performs around 25,000 to 30,000 corneal transplants every year, while the estimated requirement is about one lakh or more. This wide gap means that many people with corneal blindness continue to wait for treatment.
According to Padma Shri Prof. Dr Jeevan Titiyal, Regional Head–Clinical Services, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, the country needs to focus not only on improving surgery but also on creating greater awareness about eye donation.
“Corneal blindness is among the significant causes of vision loss that can potentially be treated through transplantation, yet thousands of patients continue to face a long and uncertain wait for suitable donor tissue. India has the surgical expertise and increasingly advanced techniques to perform corneal transplantation, but the availability of suitable, high-quality donor tissue remains a major constraint.”
He said the need was to make families more aware of what they could do after the death of a loved one.
“The conversation therefore needs to move beyond simply asking people to pledge their eyes. We need greater awareness among families about making a timely decision after death, stronger hospital-based retrieval systems, efficient eye-bank networks and better coordination across the entire donor-to-recipient pathway.”
The cornea is the clear front part of the eye that allows light to enter and helps the eye focus. Damage caused by infections, injuries, scars and other diseases can severely affect vision. In serious cases, a corneal transplant may be needed to restore sight.
However, simply donating eyes does not mean that every cornea collected can be used for transplantation. The tissue has to be retrieved quickly after death and then tested for quality and safety. It must also be properly processed and stored before it can be given to a patient.
Though there has been some improvement in eye donation in recent years, the availability of donor tissue remains a concern.
For instance, as per the government figures, the number of donated eyes collected increased from 62,370 in 2022-23 to 66,434 in 2023-24 and 69,848 in 2024-25. By March 2026, 396 eye banks were reported to be functioning across the country.
However, of more than 49,000 corneas retrieved in 2023-24, only about 27,394 were considered suitable for transplantation.
The scale of vision problems worldwide makes the need for eye care and donation even more important. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that at least 2.2 billion people globally have near or distance vision impairment, with at least one billion cases preventable or yet to be addressed.
This makes timely action by families important. Those willing to donate their eyes need to ensure that their family members are aware of their decision. After death, the eye bank must be contacted without delay so that trained personnel can carry out the retrieval within the required time, said Dr Titiyal.
Advances in surgery have also changed the way corneal diseases are treated. Doctors can now replace only the damaged layer of the cornea in suitable patients instead of replacing the entire cornea. This can make surgery more precise and help patients recover their vision faster.
Dr Prabjot Kaur, Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist, Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital, added, “Advances in corneal surgery now allow us to treat specific layers of the cornea, offering more targeted treatment and faster visual rehabilitation for appropriately selected patients. However, these advances can translate into better outcomes only when suitable donor tissue is available.”
