The superstition that an eyeless body cannot reach the heaven stands a barrier to eye donation in India, Rajath Kapoor, Ophthalmologist, Sankara Eye Centre, said here today.

In his address during an eye donation awareness programme at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Dr. Kapoor said that this religious stigma stood as a road block to eye donation in the country.

Calling on volunteers to break these types of superstitions to become ‘sight ambassadors’ to excel in eye donation and create awareness among the public, Dr. Kapoor said that the removal of eyes and fixing of artificial eyes could be done within six hours of demise of a person.

Except in a few conditions, the eyes of all persons from the age of four could be transplanted, he told nearly 2,500 NSS Volunteers, who participated in the programme, jointly organised by National Service Scheme (NSS) of the University and Sankara Eye Centre.

S. Mahimairaja, Dean (Agriculture), asked volunteers to be forerunners in activities and made the gathering realize the significance of eyesight by asking them to close their eyes for a minute, to feel the trauma of the visually impaired.