Cornea is the clear tissue covering the front of the eye.  If the cornea becomes cloudy from disease, injury, infection or poor nutrition, vision is dramatically reduced or lost. Corneal blindness can be treated by replacing the damaged cornea by a healthy human cornea. Human cornea can be procured through eye donation. A pair of eyes can give sight to two corneal blind persons. Contact your nearest eye bank to give light to the needy,

In India, it is estimated that there 10 lakh people with corneal blindness. There are about 500 eye banks in the country which collectively perform 25,000 corneal transplants per year. Close to 50,000 eyes are harvested each year, but unfortunately only 45% only of these can be used for corneal transplant surgeries.

Aravind’s first eye bank, the Rotary Aravind International Eye Bank – Madurai was officially set up in the year 1998 and is one of the 7 eye banks in the country affiliated to the International Federation of Eye and Tissue Banks (IFETB), which stipulates stringent standards of quality for corneas used in transplants. Eye bank at Aravind-Coimbatore was started in 1998 after registering with the Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI). Later, the eye bank expanded with sophisticated infrastructure and facilities with support of Indian Overseas Bank and was named Aravind-IOB Eye Bank. Rotary Aravind Eye Bank, Tirunelveli was started in 2004. Aravind Eye Bank Association of Pondicherry was started in 2005.

Aravind Eye Banks are registered under the HOTA (Human Organ Transplantation Act. They procure more than 5000 eyes and perform about 2500 corneal transplants annually. Eye balls which cannot be used for transplants are effectively used for various research and development programmes.

Aravind eye banks collect tissues by closely involving the community and various hospitals.  76% of the tissues collected at Aravind eye banks are through Community Cornea Retrieval Programme, which involves trained doctors, volunteers and NGOs (such as Lions Clubs).  Under the Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme (HCRP), the eye banks are collaborating with seven Government Medical College Hospitals and five private hospitals.  24% of tissues collected are through HCRP.  Upon request, AIEBS distributes quality cornea, sclera and amniotic membrane to hospitals across India.