New Delhi, Sep 9 - Sixty-four-year old Sudha Jain looked into the eyes of Rajendra Kumar, a stranger, and couldn't stop herself from crying. Kumar was the recipient of her dead husband's eye.

'I feel like he is still alive and seeing this world through someone else,' said Jain, who broke down as she narrated how her husband died years ago and how his eyes were then donated.

A resident of Rohini in west Delhi, Jain's husband died of a massive heart attack at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). But much before his death, he had decided to donate his eyes.

Today, his decision to donate his eyes came has proved a blessing for 18-year-old Kumar, who lives in a village in Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh.

Doctors at the Venu Eye Institute and Research Centre in south Delhi operated on him and he regained his eyesight through a corneal transplant.

Kumar was working in his farmland five years ago when a bull hit him, damaging his left eye. It was just by chance that he came to know that the Venu Eye Institute would be able to fulfil his dream of getting his sight back.

'My family was a great support system. They encouraged me not to lose heart and they stood by me when I needed them the most,' an emotional Kumar told IANS.

'I can't thank them enough for giving me eyesight. After years of darkness, I can't believe I can see. I get so emotional,' he said.

For Sudha Jain, it is a moment to cherish. 'I am very happy that he (her husband) is still alive. I saw him again through his eyes,' said Jain, breaking into tears.

On Tuesday, the two met for the first time at a function organised by the hospital on the occasion of National Eye Donation Day.

It was just not a celebration of life for Kumar and Jain, but for dozens of donors and recipients who gathered at the hospital.