Give and gain the gift of sight

As we observe the eye donation fortnight, Dr Umesh sheds light on the importance of donating eyes, for there are more than 4.6 million blind people in the country, who can be helped

For the many reading this article, the act of seeing words and sentences forming themselves into comprehensive stories has become an unconscious act. After all, most of us were born with the gift of vision and quite naturally, we take it for granted.  As India celebrates the 26th National Eye Donation Fortnight (August 25-September 8), it is only right that we pause and think about those who have never known what it means to be able to see. Our country has 4.6 million corneally blind people, of which 90 per cent are below the age of 65 and 60 per cent are below the age of 12. Statistics Of the 4.6 million blind, at least 3 million can gain their sight through a corneal transplant. In a country where 10 people die every minute, only a fraction of those no longer alive are required for the purpose of vision restoration. But last year, a little less than 40,000 eyes were collected by eye banks across the country. What is corneal blindness? The front, clear and transparent tissue of the eye is called the cornea. It is the focusing element of the eye. If the cornea becomes cloudy, vision is dramatically reduced or lost. This loss of vision is called corneal blindness. The cornea of the eyes belonging to a deceased person can be used to restore vision in a corneally blind person. Eye donation  Eye donation can help restore vision among the corneally-blind. Donating the eyes of the deceased is a simple procedure and can be carried out anywhere, be it home or hospital, with the help of eye bank personnel. The process takes no longer than 20 minutes and there is no disfigurement caused to the body of the deceased as is often feared. All telephone directories list the phone numbers of eye banks, which are not-for-profit organisations that collect and preserve them for free. Eye banks also provide details relating to eye donation, thus addressing issues and apprehensions that family members of the deceased may be faced with. Anyone can donate eyes, even if they have been known to have a medical history such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma or tuberculosis. Even those who wear spectacles or have poor eye sight can donate their eyes. But what’s stopping us? The big question is, given how simple and quick the process is, why is it that not many people come forward to donate eyes? Lack of awareness and to some extent, social, cultural and religious beliefs that surround death are the major causes for eye banks across the country battling with long waiting lists. Fear of disfigurement often combined with misconceptions about being born blind in the next birth prevents the next of kin to donate the eyes of the dead. A rigorous awareness campaign driven by the healthcare sector, government and the community can lead to more people coming forward to donate eyes. The way forward Several bodies such as the Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI) have been actively working towards educating the general public about preventing blindness caused due to corneal disorders. Prominent members of society such as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai have joined hands with EBAI to promote the cause of eye donation. Steps are being taken to make eye donation easier for the masses. For instance, 1919 is a special, non-metered service number provided by BSNL and MTNL all over the country to facilitate easy access to the nearest eye bank. Today, there are more than 400 organisations registered with EBAI spreading awareness about eye donation and facilitating eye donation. The need of the hour is for us, the visually gifted, to want to award the incredible gift of sight that we have been bestowed with and ensure that, when the time comes to act, we stand for vision and pass on the gift of sight to those less fortunate. For information on eye donation and to donate eyes, contact, Sankara Eye Hospital Eye Bank (24 hour hotline) Ph: (080)28542727. (The writer is Chief Medical Officer, Sankara Eye Hospital) ================================================= deccanherald.com/content/187898/give-gain-gift-sight.html