Command Hospital, Chandimandir is a tertiary care hospital providing state-of-the-art medical facilities to entitled clientele of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, J&K and Himachal Pradesh. Civilians from remote areas of Ladakh, Kargil and Turtok are also treated in this hospital as part of operation Sadbhavna. These areas have a high density of defence personnel population. Rate of corneal blindness is very high in this part of India due to prevalence of trachoma and corneal ulcers as most of the population is agriculture based. Corneal complications of cataract surgery have further compounded, due to the already existing two million corneal blinds in India. Answer to such type of blindness is corneal transplantation which is possible only with the availability of viable donor eyes donated within ten hours after death.

Keeping the need in view, the eye bank at Command Hospital was established after Kargil operations. The help of media was taken to create awareness about eye donations in local public. Nursing staff was trained for it in addition to provision of super speciality services and equipment. A devoted team of eye specialists consisting of Col DP Vats, Lt Col SK Anand, Lt Col (Mrs) SP Prasad and Maj Ajay Chakravorthy undertook this challenge under the inspiring leadership of Maj Gen P Dayal. Despite the social and religious taboos, the eye donations picked up momentum to the extent that the long waiting list of recipients was completed. Now surplus corneas are being made available to needy civilians for transplantation. There is no waiting list in this hospital now.