Eye donation and pledging in Karnataka got a big boost in the last two years following Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s donation that gave the gift of sight to four people.
Narayana Nethralaya, which runs the Dr. Rajkumar Eye Bank, recorded a huge increase, receiving over 1,27,924 eye pledges since the actor’s eye donation on October 29, 2021. The eye bank has collected 3,989 eyes since then. The eye bank had seen a total of around 65,000 pledges in the 30 years of its existence.
According to data from the hospital, overall the eye bank, started in 1993, has collected 18,766 eyes and received 1,68,192 pledges till August 26. Of these, 92,684 are online pledges. The hospital has an exclusive number — 8884018800 — through which people who wish to pledge their eyes can register their names. Those who want to donate can call 9741685555.
