National Eye Donation Fortnight
(August 25th to September 8th)
The National fortnight on eye-donation would be observed across the
nation from August 25 to September 8.
In this juncture, Pl go thro to know more on blindness status in our
country and the importance of eye donation and the fact for the same.
There are
currently an estimated 15 million blind people in India. 6.8 million of these suffer
from corneal blindness with vision less than 6/60 in at least one eye, and of
these, about 1 million have bilateral corneal blindness. If the present trend
continues, it is expected that the number of corneally blind individuals in India will
increase to 8.4 million in 2010 and 10.6 million by 2020.
Of these
at least 3 million can be benefited by corneal transplantation. Thus, to
effectively meet the ever growing demand, we need around 150,000 corneal
transplants to be performed every year.
EYE
DONATIONS - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What
is Cornea?
The cornea is the
clear, transparent layer in front of the "black portion" of the eye.
It is also the main focusing surface, which converges light rays as they enter
the eye to focus on the retina. It is, therefore, the most important part of
the optical apparatus of the eye. Loss of transparency directly results in loss
of vision.
What
is Corneal Transplantation?
A Corneal transplant
is a surgery through which the opaque cornea is replaced with a clear cornea
obtained from a human donor eye.
How
does a cornea become opaque?
Infection
Injuries
Malnutrition
Congenital/Hereditary
Who
can be an eye donor?
Practically anybody
from the age of 1 year. There is no upper age limit. People who wear
spectacles, who have undergone cataract surgery, diabetics and those who have
hypertension can donate their eyes. People blind from retinal or optic nerve
disease can also donate their eyes.
The ultimate decision
about usage for transplantation will be made after evaluation.
Can
the next-of-kin consent to a donation if the deceased family member hasn't signed
a pledge form?
Yes.
How
can I be of help on the death of a close relative or friend?
Motivate the next of
kin of the deceased person to donate their eyes. Eyes need to be collected
within 6 hours of death so call your nearest eye bank at the earliest. You are
authorized to donate the eyes of your beloved relatives at the time of their
death, even if a pledge for donation has not been made earlier by the deceased.
What
should I do till the Eye Donation team arrives?
Keep the eyes of the
deceased closed and cover it with moist cotton.
Switch off the
overhead fan.
Raise the head end of
the body by about 6 inches, if possible - to decrease the incidence of bleeding
during the removal of the eyes.
If possible, instill
antibiotic eye drops periodically.
What
is the sequence of events in Sankara Nethralaya once I call?
A call for donating
eyes sets in motion the Eye Bank machinery and a team is dispatched within 15
minutes. At the site, the eyes of the deceased are enucleated without causing
any disfigurement. This procedure takes about 10-15 minutes.
Who
cannot be a donor?
Death from unknown
cause.
Death due to
infectious caused viz. Rabies, syphilis, infectious hepatitis, septicemia, and
AIDS.
Any frank ocular
infection, previous refractive surgery.
Can
the whole eye be transplanted?
No. Only the cornea
and sclera can be transplanted. However, the entire eyeball is enucleated, to
enable the corneo-scleral disc to be fashioned surgically in a sterile
environment.
Can
a living person donate his/her eyes?
No
Can
the recipients be told who donated the eyes?
No. The gift of sight
is made anonymously.
Any
specials phone no. for eye bank and eye donation?
Yes, a dedicated
special phone: 044 28281919 and 044 28271616
Our appeal
Take a pledge to
donate your eyes
http://www.sankaranethralaya.org/eye-pledge.html
Motivate and educate
others about eye donation.
In case any death
incidents; motivate the next of kin of the deceased person to donate their
eyes. Call your nearest eye bank.
More
details and making your eye donation pledge, please contact:
S.V.G.Subramanian
Deputy Manager - Eye
Bank, Sankara Nethralaya,
18, College Road, Chennai - 600 006,
PH:
044 28281919 , 044 42271830, 044 28226694.
http://www.sankaranethralaya.org/eye-bank.html
