PESHAWAR: Ophthalmologists performed 29 cornea transplants in a single day to restore eyesight of as many people at Hayatabad Medical Complex here the other day.

Ophthalmologist Dr Yasir Murad of Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology (PICO), Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), told Dawn that the institute had restored the eyesight of 29 people. “It is a record by any hospital in Pakistan,” he claimed.

So far, 700 people have undergone free cornea transplants. They received corneas from Murad Eye Bank, established in 2007 in the memory of Prof Murad Ali Khan, one of the pioneers of ophthalmology in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All the corneas were donated by Pakistanis through Association of Physicians of Pakistan in North America (Appna), which is sending corneas from the US.

Dr Yasir said that beneficiaries of free cornea transplant on Thursday included five children of less than 15 years of age, nine women and 15 men. He also appreciated MD International Canada, US-based Dr Naeem Khan and Association of Memphis which for helping to restore vision of people damaged by mishaps.

“The credit also goes to US-based Dr Fawad Zaffar, who facilitates the entire process of corneal donation while ophthalmologists including Dr Sadiqullah, Dr Samina Karim, Dr Shahid Rauf and Dr Noor perform procedures,” he said.

Dr Yasir said that all surgeries were performed free of cost with consumables and other requirements supported by Sehat Card Plus under the guidance of chairman of Board of Governors of KMC Prof Noorul Iman, dean of Khyber Girls Medical College Prof Shahzad Akbar Khan, director of PICO Prof Sanaullah Jan, medical director Dr Mohammad Mushtaq and hospital director Dr Gulzar Ahmed Khan.

He said that scores of people were waiting for cornea transplantation but the hospital was dependent on donations from abroad. He said that they were trying to develop the culture of organ donations to cater to growing demand of patients.

“The people visiting the hospital with symptoms of Keratoconus, a disease which causes progressive thinning of cornea, are selected for transplantation regardless of their financial status. Doctors have developed the latest skills in which chances of graft rejection are next to zero and it works for lifetime,” said Dr Yasir.

He said that it was a developing specialty that guaranteed restoration of vision to those, who had no vision before. He added that trauma, injuries and pressure cooker blasts were also among the main reasons of damaging cornea and ending eyesight.

“To ensure sustainability of corneal transplants, we should rely on our own indigenous resources by encouraging our own people to donate corneas in a large number as the need is higher,” he said.

The ophthalmologist said that religious scholars should be motivated to use their influence and convince people through mosques for organ donation.

Other ophthalmologists involved in the procedures told Dawn that they were ready to perform cornea transplants every day provided people started donating corneas.

A few months ago Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority (MTRA) launched deceased organs donation programme to cover the widening gap between demand and supply of organs and ensure treatment of patients.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2026