World Eye Donation Day 2020: How to Register for Donating Your Eyes? What's The Procedure in India? Important Things Donors & Their Family Members Must Keep in Mind

Some of us are privileged enough to have the gift of vision while unfortunately, about 39 million people are blind. The world still has 285 million visually impaired people out of which, 39 million are blind and 246 million having low vision. But there is something each one of us can do to change the figure- donate our eyes! Did you know that out of 3 million corneally blind people 60% are children? If you pledge to donate your eyes after your death you help Eye bank of India to reach its target retrieval of corneas which is 150,000 corneas per year.

If you really want to help this beautiful cause of gifting someone vision, you can actually register today. It is also World Eye Donation Day today. This day encourages people to donate their eyes so that many others can see the world. So if you wish to donate your eyes and you don't know how to go about it, let us help!

What's The Procedure to Register for Donating Your Eyes in India?

According to the Eye Bank Association of India, For eye donation, you must fill the pledge form and send it to any of the nearest eye banks around you. They will accept your pledge for and register you as an Eye donor. You will be explained all the details and will be provided with an individual Eye Donor Card. They also urge you to spread information & awareness about eye donation. If you know an eye donor and you are around the deceased, remember to, "dial the nearest Eye Bank (1919) within 6 hours of death. Switch off the fans and keep the air conditioner or cooler on.” You also have to raise the head with the help of a pillow and place wet cotton swab on closed eyes.

Things Donor's Family Members Must Keep in Mind

• The eye removal procedure must be done within 4-6 hours after death. immediately after the death, the nearest eye bank should be informed.
• Only trained doctors can remove the eyes.
• The eye bank team will come to get the procedure done.
• Eye removal takes only 10 to 15 minutes. It doesn't cause any disfigurement.
• Only the transparent section of the eyes called cornea is taken out and not the whole eyeball.
• A small quantity of blood may be taken too.
• The identities of both the donor and the recipient remain confidential.
• One pair of eyes gives vision to TWO corneal blind people.

However, you must know that not everyone is eligible to donate their eyes. While eye donors can belong to any age group or sex but people who had health issues or died from AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, rabies, septicemia, acute leukaemia, tetanus, cholera, meningitis or encephalitis cannot donate eyes. To your surprise, people who use have had issues with vision like having to wear spectacles, short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism, maybe had cataracts can donate. The cornea doesn't get affected in these cases. Diabetics and people with hypertension, asthma can donate eyes too.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 10, 2020 04:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).