GT Foundation officially launched the Corneal Transplantation Scheme on February 2, 2014 at Hotel Moti Mahal, by Dr. Srinivas Rao K (famously known as Dr. SRK), an eminent Ophthalmologist from Chennai who is the founder of the Darshan Eye Clinic. The program was sponsored by the GT Foundation and organized by Dr. V. Ravichandran, Managing Trustee of GT Foundation and coordinated by Dr. C.R. Kamath, one of the renowned Ophthalmologists from Mangalore.
Dr. SRK gave a brief presentation on the corneal transplantation process to some of the members of the Ophthalmologist Association. This program was launched to provide corneal grafting to deserving people from economically challenged families. The GT Foundation will bear the entire expenses of the corneal transplantation.
“The GT Foundation is extremely pleased to be a sponsor,” said Dr. V. Ravichandran. “We feel this program will yield tremendous benefits throughout our community and have untold benefits to the recipients of the transplantation.”
The corneal transplantation, also known as corneal grafting, is a surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced by donated corneal tissue (the graft) in its entirety (penetrating Keratoplasty) or in part (lamellar Keratoplasty). The graft is taken from a recently deceased individual with no known diseases or other factors that may affect the viability of the donated tissue or the health of the recipient and the donors can be of any age. The surgical procedure is performed by ophthalmologists, physicians who specialize in eyes, and is often done on an outpatient basis. The corneal transplantation is performed when medicines, keratoconus conservative surgery and cross-linking can no longer heal the cornea.
