Late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar‘s family decided to donate his eyes after his sudden demise on October 29. His eyes were donated to four people – a woman and three men on the same day by doctors at the Narayana Nethralaya in Bengaluru. The doctors, who collected actor Puneeth Rajkumar’s corneas, said they sliced the corneas and transplanted them in four corneal blind patients. Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on November 1, Dr Bhujang Shetty, Chairman and Managing Director of Narayana Nethralaya, revealed that each eye of the late actor was used to treat two patients. “What was unique is that we used each eye to treat two patients by separating the superior and deeper layers of the cornea,” Dr Bhujang Shetty said, as per The Hindu.Also Read - After Puneeth Rajkumar's Demise, Prabhu Ganeshan, Shivakarthikeyan And Other Celebs Visit His Family
According to doctors, the latest technology in microsurgery made it possible to provide vision to four people on the same day. All patients were from Karnataka. This means that different slices of the cornea can be donated to multiple people, depending on the nature of their visual impairment. Also Read - Puneeth Rajkumar's Doctor Explains How His Last Moments Went & What Caused His 'Sudden Death'
The front part of the cornea ‘the corneal button’ went to two young patients suffering from keratoconus and corneal dystrophy, respectively. Keratoconus is an eye disease that affects the structure of the cornea, resulting in loss of vision. This was done through a process known as Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty. Also Read - Kannada Actor Puneeth Rajkumar's Last Rites Performed with State Honours at Sree Kanteerava Studios in Bengaluru
The actor and celebrity television host fondly known as ‘Appu’ and ‘Yuvarathnaa’ after his eponymous films, died at 46 at a hospital in Bengaluru Friday afternoon after suffering a massive heart attack, plunging his legions of fans into a state of extreme grief and anguish. Puneeth Rajkumar’s last rites were performed with full state honours at the Sree Kanteerava Studios in Bengaluru on Sunday morning soon after Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai paid his last respects to the late actor.