Donated body parts being transported in Uttar Pradesh. File image used for representation only.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has amended the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Rules, 2025 to boost cornea donation and transplant services across the country. A notification in this regard was issued on November 6 under the under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994.
The mandatory requirement of the clinical specular equipment in corneal transplantation centres has now been removed under this amendment. Clinical specular microscopes are used to assess the health and density of corneal endothelial cells.
“This change has been introduced after careful consideration of expert recommendations and stakeholder consultations,” said a release issued by the Ministry on Monday. It added that the move also aligns with the government’s vision to promote equitable access to organ and tissue transplantation services.
The amendment strengthens the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP) and streamlines functioning of corneal transplantation centres, while facilitating wider accessibility to eye donation and transplantation services across the country, the Ministry added.
It said the amendment is expected to ease infrastructural and operational challenges, particularly for smaller eye centers in rural and semi-urban areas, thereby enhancing the overall availability and accessibility to the corneal transplantation services in the country.
A corneal transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a damaged or diseased cornea with healthy donor tissue to restore vision and reduce pain.
The cornea is the clear, front part of the eye that helps focus light; when it becomes cloudy or scarred from injury, infection, or certain medical conditions, vision can be significantly impaired. The transplant can involve replacing the entire cornea or just the affected layers, depending on the damage.
As per an article published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, titled Corneal blindness in India: The care gap, corneal blindness has been the second-leading cause of blindness in the over-50 age group in India. It said the country has an estimated 1.2 million corneal blind persons, to which 25 000–30 000 people are added every year.
Published – November 10, 2025 08:31 pm IST
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