Pledge for eye donation

Dr KV Harikrishna, Cataract & Cornea Surgeon, MaxiVision Super Specialty Eye Hospitals, Hyderabad, gives an insight on the importance of eye donation

The National Eye Donation Fortnight is observed every year from August 25 to September 8. It is a campaign which aims to create mass public awareness about the importance of eye donation and to motivate people to pledge their eyes for donation after death.

Blindness is one of the major public health problems in the developing countries. According to World Health Organization, corneal diseases (Damage to the tissue covering the front of eye called cornea) are among the major causes of vision loss and blindness, after cataract and glaucoma (damage to optic nerve head with or without rise in intraocular pressure).

It is to be noted that one of the five blind people in the world is from India. This means at least 46 lakh Indians are suffering from corneal blindness, whereas the rate of eye donation is only 35,000. Hence, there is a huge demand and supply gap.

The National Fortnight on Eye Donation is celebrated nationally under the National Programme for Control of Blindness. According to the medical history, it is observed that about 20,000 new cases of the eye blindness are added every year. A majority of the blind people are young (due to injuries, infections, deficiency of Vitamin ‘A’, malnutrition, congenital or other factors) and their eye sight can be restored through corneal transplantation only. So, it has become very necessary to educate the people including both young and old to narrow the demand supply gap in procuring cornea.

In most of the cases, loss of sight can be corrected through ‘Eye Donation.’ After the death of a person, various organs can be donated and can be surgically transplanted to the patients who need them. One such organ is the eye. By donating eyes, a corneal blind person can see again through a surgical procedure known as corneal transplantation, whereby the damaged cornea is replaced by a healthy cornea from the eye donor.

Must know facts

• Eye donation is donating one’s eyes after his/ her death.
• Only corneal blind people are benefited from donated eyes.
• Corneal blindness is the loss of sight due to damage in the tissue covering the front of eye called cornea.
• Anyone can donate their eyes irrespective of age, sex and blood group.
• The cornea should be removed within an hour of death.
• Eyes of donated person can save the vision of two corneal blind people.
• Eye removal takes only 10-15 minutes and leaves no scar or disfigurement of the face.
• Donated eyes are never bought or sold. Eye donation is never refused.
• Contact the eye bank to become a registered eye donor

Reasons as to why people hesitate to donate

• Lack of awareness among general public
• Insufficient facilities in the institutes and hospitals
• Absence of motivation even among trained personnel
• Social and religious myths
• Anyone can be a donor, irrespective of age, sex, blood group or religion. People who use lenses or spectacles for short sightedness, long sightedness or even those whose eyes are operated can still donate their eyes. Poor eyesight does not come in way of eye donation.

The identities of both donor and recipient are kept confidential. Hence, one need not worry about the identity being revealed.

Diabetic patients or those who are suffering from hypertension, asthma can also donate their eyes. Anyone with cataract can also donate their eyes. However, a person with communicable diseases cannot donate his/ her eyes.

Persons who have systemic infections like AIDS, hepatitis B or C, Rabies, Tetanus, cannot donate their eyes.

Persons who have lost their sight because of damage to the cornea can hope to regain it with corneal grafting.

The corneas should be removed preferably within an hour, but can be removed up to a maximum of six to eight hours of death, and can be preserved for future use for transplantation to the required needy individual.

Eye donation is a noble cause. Donating your eyes to another person can light up the life of two people. It is a myth that eye donation disfigures the face. Removal of the cornea does not cause any disfigurement. After the eyeball has been removed, a transparent eye cap is placed in the eye in place of the eyeball.

For eye donation, you are required to fill the pledge form and send it to any of the nearest eye bank. Once you are registered as an eye donor you will be provided an Eye Donor Card.

Eye donation can be pledged at any age but donation is carried out only after death.

Eye donation can be done only with the written consent of the next of kin in the presence of two witnesses.

The following instructions can be followed in case of death of a donor:

• Close the eyelids of the donor
• Switch off the fan, you can switch on the air-conditioner
• Raise the head of the deceased slightly by placing a pillow underneath
• Contact the nearest eye bank as quickly as possible. The team will go to the donors residence or the hospital where the death has occurred and perform the corneal excision.