We are going to talk about the subject of eye donation. 

Eligibility for Eye Donation

Now, this eye donation can be done by anyone from the age of 2 years to 70 years, or even about age is no bar for this. Now, why do we want to donate eyes? There are a lot of people who are unstinted in the world, and the most important cause for this slightlessness is cornea. Okay, now assume, I’ll give you one simple case. Imagine a precious seed in your hand; you close the hand, you ask the person to close the eyes and tell of that stone which is there in the palm.

Importance of Vision and Helping the Blind

It’s very hard; you will just feel the form, but you won’t be able to see what type of stone it is, what the color of the seed. So, if I open my hand, I realize the color of the stone, I know what valuable diamond or what dear stone it is. All this is possible only because I can see. So, if you are blind, it’s really difficult to move around, to do your day-to-day activities, and hence it is, as a part of the society, it is our duty to help these people who are blind, and which is a curable blindness.

The Need to Donate Eyes

So do a little bit to get them out of the darkness and let them see the beautiful world around you. Who are the donors? Now, there are some indications where we avoid taking the eyes; we avoid eye donation like septicemia. These are patients who are bedridden for a long time, they are in the ICU, they have lots of infection throughout the body, so these patients usually we avoid.

Conditions Avoided in Eye Donation

Then, who are suffering from COP positive conditions like HIV, TB, HCV, those patients, or who have rabies, tetanus, or cancers above the neck. Okay, so these conditions we usually avoid taking the corneas, but otherwise, age is no bar. All these corneas from 2 years of age—unfortunately, these children who may have died because of some illnesses—these children, and up to 70 or 80 years of age, all these people can donate eyes, and even people who have met with an accident on the road, even those eyes can be donated for a beautiful cause.

Usage of Donated Eyes

So now, eyes can be used for different purposes. These eyes can be used for people who can’t see because of a corneal problem. Now, before I tell you about these things, let me explain to you with a simple model of the eye. Now, this is an eye model. Here you see a cut section of the eye where this part is the cornea. Okay, this is the window of the eye.

Structure of the Eye

Okay, it is all the time that the rays of light pass between, and you are capable of capturing sight. This is the retina, and this is the gall that goes to the brain. So, anytime you see a thing, the rays have to pass through the cornea. This is the first bar or the first surface through which the rays go through, and then they fall on the retina, and then the brain is able to tell you to see things.

Cornea’s Role in Vision

So, this cornea is the most important part of the eye. Now, when I say an eye, people feel it’s the entire eye which is transplanted. No, that is a myth. The whole eye is removed, or is enucleated if I can put it in a medical term; it is removed from the patient’s eye, the donor’s eye, but only this part of the eye is transplanted, that is called a corneal transplant, that is also called a keratoplasty.

What is Transplanted in Eye Donation

So, it is a corneal transplant which takes place when you donate an eye, not the whole eye. Now, this cornea can be used for different purposes. If you have a person who had a chemical injury, sometimes you get these children who play with tuna; so these people get a corneal scar, a whitening of the cornea, of this transparent part of the eye; it becomes white.

Corneal Scar and Transplant

So, in those cases, you can have these donated eyes, and you can transplant the cornea on such people and help them see because they can’t see only because the cornea has turned white; rest of the eye is good in these people. So, if you transplant the cornea, you can help them see the world.

Injuries Requiring Emergency Transplant

Sometimes, you have people who get injured in the eye, maybe because of, you know, people playing around, children playing around, or people having a fight, and with that you have very sharp instruments or sharp weapons which pierce the eye and destroy the cornea. So, in that case, it’s an emergency.

Emergency Use of Donated Eyes

So, these corneas, these eyes which are donated, these eyes can be used to replace the cornea so as to protect the whole eye; otherwise, once the cornea is damaged, the whole eye is exposed to infection. So, it’s an emergency wherein these eyes which have been donated can be used to save the eye.

Use of Eyes Not Fit for Transplant

Then, what if these eyes which we get from the people, if these eyes are not fit for donation or to be transplanted into a patient’s eye, then what happens to those eyes? Don’t worry, these eyes don’t go to waste. These eyes can still be used for research purposes.

Research Importance of Donated Eyes

Now, unless and until you do some research, you can’t have new things coming in, or you can’t train your people to do good surgery, brilliant surgeries. So, these eyes are always used for research purposes, so nothing goes to waste.

Process to Register for Eye Donation

There is a process of registering for eye donation. You can’t donate eyes when you are alive, but you can pledge to donate your eyes, which is such a noble cause. There is a very simple process of doing it. You have these eye collection centers, you have hospitals who are involved in this very noble cause.

Eye Collection Centers and Donor Cards

Like, for example, in Juhu, you have Lotus Eye Hospital, where I also consult. So, this hospital has an eye collection center wherein we have a trained team of people who can help and do the needful, do the process of taking the eye.

There’s a simple process wherein you have a donor card available. These donor cards are to be signed by the person or by the patient who wants to donate eyes willingly. Like, if I want to pledge my eyes after my death, then I have to fill this card.

Details on Donor Card

It has details of the patient, and it has the details of a witness, like, for example, a relative, like a son or a daughter, who would know of the patient’s wish to donate the eye after death. It is never done alive; it is only after death.

But there is no place where you can register as such, so you have to just fill a card, the eye donor card, wherein you fill your name, you fill the witness’s details, you let your relatives know your wish to donate, and keep this card folded. This card and keep it in your wallet, so keep it on your person wherever you go.

Importance of Carrying Donor Card

So, it’s so simple, and this card will help you whenever that day comes when you can do that noble cause; you can do that noble deed. Then, that day, this card will help those people around you to know your wish to donate.

So, this is what a donor can keep with him. Now, this is a list of people who want the eye. This is a form which the people can fill if they want an eye transplant. There are different eye collection centers; there are different eye banks.

Eye Collection and Distribution Process

Eye collection centers can go to a person’s house and take the eye, then send it to an eye bank. The eye bank will evaluate your eye which it has got and decide who is the best person to receive the transplant.

Doctor, you very nicely explained about the eye donation. Doctor, also let us know what the person who is nearby, what are the things that one needs to do, what are the precautions we need to take in order to safeguard that particular eye so it will not be wasted and can be utilized in a most appropriate way, right?

 Precautions at Home Before Collection

Now, for now, what are the little things that you can do at home? When such a thing happens, please switch off the fans; that prevents the eye from drying.

You can take a wet cotton and keep it on the eye so as to prevent dryness of the eye so that the cornea doesn’t get bad. You can keep a pillow under the head so that the bleeding is less.

Whenever the process of removing the eye is done, these little things can be followed at home. When the medical team arrives at the home, you can ask the relatives to be out, as the process of removing the eye is little, not so good to watch.

Eye Removal and Aftercare

The team would do its job in about 10 minutes’ time. The body need not be shifted anywhere; it can be on the floor, and they are trained to do so.

After the enucleation is done, after the removal of the eye is done, the eye is padded well so that nothing, the appearance of the body, on the face, doesn’t get disturbed. The lid is also closed, so there is nothing, not a very unpleasant side, I would say.

After that, you also need to keep the patient’s death certificate ready so that it can be given to the medical team which has arrived there, which states the cause of the death, and a simple procedure which needs to be done.

After that, the relatives are free to complete the rights of the patient. Once the eye is taken by the medical team, it is transferred to an eye bank.

Evaluation and Allocation of Donated Eyes

The eye bank will evaluate the eye for its cell count, which is so important, which tells us how good the cornea is. Young people, young patients or young donors will have a very healthy cornea as compared to an aged person.

So, depending upon how good or bad the cornea is, there is a waiting list of people who want the cornea, who are waiting to be operated for a corneal transplant.

So, these eye banks, these are centralized eye banks which have a waiting list with them, and according to the goodness or the viability of the cornea, the healthiness of the cornea, these corneas are dispensed to the patients.