About 12 million people who are suffering from preventable blindness in the country can restore their vision through corneal transplant, Dr Gaurav Arora, Head Medical Services,Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospital said here today. 

Talking to reporters on the occasion World Sight day here, Dr Arora said that out of 40,000 people needed corneal transplant every year in the country, only 20,000 people getting it due to lack of awarness among the people on eye donation. In Telangana alone, around 1 per cent of the population are diagnosed with corneal blindness, he said though there has been an improvement in awareness as well as in the number of people registering for donation, the acutal retrieval numbers are far and few. 

Sandeep , a differently abled young man, who launched the eye donation campaign was one of those few lucky patients who got a new lease of life through cornea donation with support of Telangana government at Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Dr Arora said. Lack of awareness and timely intervention are the main reason for the rise in preventable blindness, he added.