More than 850 people from the central city of Da Nang have registered to voluntarily donate their corneas for humanitarian and medical purposes after they die.

This is due to the enhanced communications campaign the city has been running to raise the public’s awareness about cornea donations, to bring sight to the blind.

Da Nang is one of the ten cities and provinces nationwide selected by the Vietnam Red Cross Society to be targeted by the communications programme.

Starting in mid-2009 and scheduled to run until the end of the year, the programme is attempting to cover 29 wards and communes in the three districts of Hai Chau, Lien Chieu and Hoa Vang. The city’s Red Cross has also linked up with the local health department to conduct a communications campaign in 56 wards and communes.

Da Nang’s Ophthalmology Hospital said that every year it receives around 3,000-5,000 patients wanting to have cornea transplants.

The city’s Red Cross is striving to provide information on donating corneas to 50 percent of the population aged from 15 years and above. It also expects to successfully persuade half a percent of the people who have been informed of cornea donations to sign an agreement to donate theirs after they die./.