AIIMS-Patna eye bank receives 64 donations

Patna: The AIIMS-Patna eye bank received 64 eye donations and it has completed 45 corneal transplant surgeries since April 30, 2025.The facility received its formal approval from State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (Sotto) before opening and it currently maintains a waiting list of over 50 patients, 10 of whom are blind.Surgeons at the facility performed transplants to address congenital blindness, corneal edema, ulcers, hereditary disorders, scarring from injuries, and complications resulting from cataract surgeries.Among the treated patients was a 21-year-old from Sahpur village who received a transplant for congenital corneal opacity. Another patient, Anjum Parveen, underwent a successful transplant in Jan this year following two failed procedures performed in Kolkata in 2017 and 2021. Upendra Chaudhary of Arwal district also received a repeat transplant in Oct last year after a previous surgery in Hyderabad in 2023 failed to provide satisfactory results.Executive director and CEO Raju Agarwal and medical superintendent Anup Kumar credited the eye bank team, led by Amit Raj, for these achievements. The institution is continuing its appeal for eye donations to help meet the rising demand and reduce the growing waiting list of patients in need of transplants.