Eye Donation

In India , thee are approximately 120 lakh blind in both eyes and 80 lakh blind in one eye , which is about one fourth of the total blind population of the world . This means 14.9 out of every 1000 people in India are blind compared to just 3 per 1000 in the developed countries. Blindness in most cases is avoidable that is, either preventable or curable. Of the 120 lakh blind, approximately 103 lakh are curable by relatively simple operations, unfortunately yet they remain uncured. About 96 lakh persons suffer from cataract which can be cured by a simple operation. About 7 lakh Indianssuffer from corneal blindness, mostly children in their early childhood, can be cured by corneal transplantation.

What is Corneal Blindness?

Corneal blindness means that the cornea, which is the transparent and thin outer layer of eye, becomes cloudy due to nutritional deficiency, injury or diseases such as trachoma, corneal ulcer, degeneration, dystrophies, etc. leading to loss of vision. This blindness can be cured in most cases by corneal transplant. Corneal transplant or grafting is performed on a patient when a voluntary donor pledges and donates his or her eyes after death.

What is the Status of Donated Eyes in India?

There is a severelack of donor eyes in India and only 4.500 operations are being performed every year, while 30,000 new cases are added each year to the long list of 7 lakh patients already waiting to be cured. Although there are enough qualified surgeons and plenty of potential patients, corneal transplantation cannot be carried out due to lack of donor corneas. Eye donation means people pledging to donate their eyes after death to be used for corneal grafting for restoring sight to corneal blind people. In India there are more than 80 lakh deaths every year but sadly the corneal donations do not exceed a few thousand. eye.

What are the Reasons for Very Few Eye Donations?

The most usual causes are -

1. Lack of awareness in general public
2. Improper development of infrastructure
3. Lack of motivation of relatives to donate eyes after death
4. Absence of motivation among the trained personnel
5. Social and religious taboos

Is the Whole Eye Transplanted?

No. At present only the cornea can be transplanted. The entire eye may be used for research and education.

How Successful is Corneal Transplantation?

Corneal transplant is one of the most successful and frequently performed human transplant procedures.




What is an Eye Bank?

An eye bank collects, medically evaluates and distributes eyes donated by caring individuals for use in corneal transplantation, research, and education. Eye banks are non-profit organizations.

What is the Procedure for Eye Donation?

Contact us by phone, email or by a personal visit and we shall help you know more about eye donations, as well as guide you to pledge your eyes. The eyes of a deceased person can also be donated whether he or she has pledged the eyes in his or her life or not. Under the law, relatives of the deceased can donate his or her eye provided the diseased person had never spoken against eye donation.

Who Can Donate Eyes?

Almost any one of any age can pledge to donate his or her eyes after death. It does not matter even if you wear glasses, have high blood pressure or blood sugar or have undergone any eye surgery. The ultimate decision about usage for transplantation is made after evaluation by a specialist. The recipient of cornea will always remain anonymous. However, the family of the donor should be satisfied that the eyes have been used for noble cause of giving vision to the blind. What could be a greater donation than donating the eyesight, enabling the blind to see the world? The only substitute for a human cornea is another human cornea donated at death by someone who thus leaves a living legacy.

Eye Donation - How does it work?

Usually eyes have to be removed within six to eight hours to death; therefore the nearest eye bank or eye collection centre must be informed of the death immediately The donor or the diseased need not to be taken to the eye bank, the eye bank team will come to take the eyes wherever the donor is, at no cost to the donors family. Removal of eyes usually is a quick and simple procedure. On reaching the eye bank, the donated eyes are evaluated, processed and then used for a corneal transplant surgery. The donated eyes are used on patients who are on the waiting list in accordance with the priority based on the guidelines.

Will Eye Donation Affect the Appearance of the Donor?

No. Great care is taken to preserve the donor's appearance. Funeral arrangements, including a viewing if desired, may proceed as scheduled.

What Can You Do?

A.Pledge Your Eyes- Sign a Donor Card
The donor card helps identify you as an eye donor at the time of death. Talk to your family. It is important to tell them that you want to be an eye donor. Your family may be asked to consent to eye donation at the time of death, even though you have signed a pledge card. It is vital that your family can make your wishes known.

B.Financial Support
Eye-Banks are non-profit, registered charitable organization supported by people like you. You can help people in need with financial contributions as well as eye donations. Your financial contribution will help The Eye-Bank restore sight to persons with corneal blindness. Your gift to The Eye Bank can be made in memory of a loved one or in honor of an occasion or someone special.

C.Volunteer
Help spread the word. Tell others about the need for eye donation and the good that it can do.

D.Write to Your Donor Family
Receiving the gift of sight is a very special gift, one that certainly deserves a thank you. We encourage patients who have received cornea transplant to send a thank you to their donor families. Many donor families find great comfort in knowing that their donation has improved the lives of others. Finding the words to express a thank you to the donor family can be challenging. Here are some suggestions - describe how long you needed a transplant and how it affected you and your family, share your transplant experience and your gratitude with your donor family, tell them about yourself, acknowledge the donor family and thank them for their gift or tell them about your family situation, marital status, children, and grandchildren. Under any circumstances please do not include names. Do not include a return address or phone number. Do not identify yourself. On a separate piece of paper write your name and date of surgery so the Eye Bank can identify your donor family. Place your card or letter in an unsealed envelope. Place both these items in another envelope and mail to us. To ensure recipient and donor confidentiality, it is our policy that any correspondence between donor families and recipients be made through us with out revealing the identity of either party to the other. Once your card or letter is received it will be forwarded to the donor family.