Sri Lanka donated us 35,000 eyes, but we lost sight: Pakistan ophthalmologist

New Delhi, Dec 5:  Pakistan is the largest recipient of eye donations from Sri Lanka, having received at least 35,000 corneas since 1967, says Dr Niaz Brohi, a leading ophthalmologist of Pakistan, Samaa TV reported.

He is a member of the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society from Pakistan.

He lamented the Sialkot incident and then said: "Sri Lanka donated us eyes, but we have lost sight."

Ever since a mob lynched Sri Lankan national Priyanatha Kumuara in Sialkot on Friday, Dr Brohi says he has been grief-stricken like many others in the country. "We hang our heads in shame," he says, the report said.

He has written to the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society to offer condolences.

Brohi, a former head of the famous Spencer Eye Hospital in Karachi, has performed several cornea transplants so far.

He said Sri Lanka has donated 83,200 corneas to different countries in the world.

Brohi claims Pakistan is the largest recipient of Sri Lankan cornea donations having received 40 per cent of them. Since 1967, the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society has donated 35,000 eye corneas to Pakistan, he said, a per the report.

Pakistan's first cornea transplant was carried out at the Spencer Eye Hospital by Dr M.H. Rizvi, and the cornea was donated by Sri Lanka, he says.