He received his first set of corneas in 1959, storing them in his home refrigerator at Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo.

He pursued his campaign and succeeded in persuading the majority Buddhist population of Sri Lanka that the donation of eyes after death was a meritorious act.

Silva has been honored by the people and heads of many countries with honorary titles and awards.

His successful campaign has been featured in many international newspapers and magazines and the Reader's Digest has published several articles about him.

Now in addition to eyes, Sri Lanka also donates human tissue to the world.