Who We Are

Swarnam Eye Bank is long cherished dream of Giridhar eye Institute and it is also a unit of SSM Eye Research Foundation, a charitable trust promoted by Giridhar Eye Institute for community centric activities.

The eye bank is a major initiative of the foundation and is a “Not-for-Profit” venture. Giridhar Eye Institute became a life member of Eye Bank Association of India in 1999. Department of Cornea and Refractive Surgery was established in GEI in April 2014 with Dr Vinay S. Pillai, as head of the department. His expertise in corneal transplantation techniques and his training at LVPEI Hyderabad have taken the sub speciality to new levels of excellence.

Subsequently, the Directorate of Medical Education, Thiruvananthapuram, granted approval for starting corneal transplantation in GEI in April 2015. Finally, with working capital from Swarnam Anantharaman Endowment Fund, the Swarnam Eye Bank was launched in July 2017. The eye bank, with state of the art amenities, has brought down our dependence on faraway centres for corneal transplant.Restoration of sight to corneal blind patients through corneal transplantation depends entirely on the eye banks and the eye banks are the main source of tissue collection.