March 18, 2003
If a poll was taken in which individuals were asked which of the five senses they would least like to live without, I would wager the number one answer would be vision. It is difficult for those of us who are sighted to imagine living a life of darkness – no light, no color, no shape or form to define the world around us. Yet millions of people around the globe live in such a state. As sad as that is, it is all the more tragic to realize that many of those millions could receive the gift of sight given adequate resources.
The single most important resource needed to restore vision for many is the gift of one’s eyes after death. All kinds of eyes are needed – donors may be young or old (8 to 80), may have perfectly healthy eyes or be nearsighted, farsighted, have astigmatism, or even cataracts. Even people with diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, and cancer can donate their eyes.
Donors with healthy corneas are especially needed. The cornea is the clear “window” surface at the front of the eye that serves to focus vision. Corneal blindness results when the cornea becomes cloudy due to injury, disease, or infection. Since the first corneal transplant was performed in 1905, the technique has been perfected so that it is now 95% effective, a higher effectiveness rate than in any other type of transplant. It is also the most frequently performed transplantation; each year, approximately 46,000 Americans receive corneal transplants from certified U.S. eye banks. And for every pair of eyes donated, two people with corneal blindness can regain vision.
In addition to curing corneal blindness, eye donors will be heartened to know that they are helping many other people suffering from eye disease. Although blindness and certain disease such as Aids and hepatitis may render an eye donation unsuitable for corneal transplantation, the gift of eyes is still appreciated and needed because the tissue is imperative for research purposes. In the United States alone, approximately 2 million people suffer from macular degeneration. In developed countries, age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of loss of vision in persons over age 60. This disease causes the death of cells in the central part of the retina, and impairs the ability to read and do any form of detailed work. Over time, more and more retinal cells die, leading to greater vision loss. Eye donation makes it possible for researchers to study retinal disorders such as macular degeneration so that interventions may be discovered to slow down or even stop the death of retinal cells.
Even the white parts of the eye (the sclera) are useful. They are used in different types of surgeries, such as repair of the ear drum.
Eye donations are not taken from living people. But the living may agree to become donors and know they can help restore sight to the blind even after their death. Anyone interested in participating as an eye donor should take several steps to ensure their wishes are carried out.
--Discuss your intention to donate your eyes with family members, your
doctor, clergyman, funeral director, or anyone else who, at the time of
your death, might remember your wish to donate.
--Obtain a donor registration card from your local eye bank, complete
the card, and keep one copy in your wallet.
--Place a second copy of the card in a safe place at home and let family
members know where it is.
Because the donor card is not a legal document, the legal next-of-kin also must give consent before the eyes can be removed. It is therefore essential that the eye donor communicate his/her wish to members of their family.
Since March is National Eye Donor Month, this is an opportune time to consider giving the gift of sight to others. All eyes have value either for transplants or for research.
Through the use of donated eyes, much can be learned about eye diseases such as glaucoma, retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, cataract disease, and eye complications of diabetes. In many cases, sight can be restored to the blind. Unfortunately, the need for eye donations far exceeds the availability of donated eyes. And there is no substitute for human tissue. So far, attempts to use artificial tissue for transplantation have been unsuccessful. If you are interested in donating your eyes or those of a loved one, contact a local eye bank. Further information about eye donations can be obtained on line at www.restoresight.org, or by contacting the Eye Banking Association of America at (202) 775-4999.