Kochi : The 16th National Conference on Cornea and Eye Banking, organized by the Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI) in collaboration with the Kerala Society of Ophthalmic Surgeons (KSOS), Chaithanya Eye Hospital and Research Institute, and Anantha Eye Bank, commenced at IMA House in Kochi. Inaugurating the event, KSOS President Dr. Rajeev Sukumaran highlighted that over 1.3 million people in India are currently awaiting corneal transplants, emphasizing the urgent need for a centralized national corneal bank to streamline timely treatment. He stressed the importance of prioritizing hospital-based cornea retrieval systems, pointing out that 60 to 70 percent of home-retrieved donations are rendered unusable due to delays and quality issues, whereas 70 to 80 percent of hospital collections maintain high surgical quality. Dr. Sukumaran also revealed plans to urge the government to mandate Regional Eye Bank partnerships for all multi-specialty hospitals. During the conference, Padmashree Dr. Tony Fernandes was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The event was attended by prominent leaders, including EBAI National President Dr. Namrata Sharma, Vice President Dr. Sujata Das, Secretary Dr. Rajesh Sinha, Chief Organizing Secretary Dr. Anita Jabbar, along with Dr. Anaha, Dr. Sweda Sukumaran, Dr. Elizabeth K. Joseph, and Dr. Radharamanan.
