Eye donation and sight restoration

EYE DONATION AND SIGHT RESTORATION

A talk by Dr. Percy Daruwala on eye donation and sight restoration at HELP library on June

You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give. -Buddha This is the message that Dr. Percy Ghaswala walks in with as he starts his talk on eye donation. Eye donation is a miracle of life, he says. And indeed it is, as we see slide after slide of patients who have gained the gift of sight. It is a joy and a wonder to know what a simple donation can do. It can restore sight. It can restore hope and can also bring magic that is overlooked by each one of us in our daily lives. It is the magic of sight. Imagine not being able to see colors anywhere. Imagine not being able to see your children’s faces. Imagine not being able to see the fine details – the loop of the thread, the eye of the needle, the stitch of both. These aren’t mere hypothesis, but real live stories of people who suffer from corneal blindness. All of this can be reversed. A call is all that is needed. The best part about eye donation is that it is free of cost. The donor doesn’t have to undergo any lengthy procedures or any sort of trouble. Dr. Ghaswala and his team have made this process such a simple one that filling of a card is all that is needed. Dr. Ghaswala also busts certain myths regarding eye donation such as: Ø  The whole eye is transplanted Ø   The donor face will be disfigured after removal of  eyes Ø   People wearing glasses or those who have cataract cannot donate Ø   Cornea transplant is an experimental surgery     Ø  Eyes should be removed JUST before death There are also certain facts about eye donation that are explained such as: Ø  Only the “Cornea” is used for transplant Ø   “Anyone” can be a eye donor Ø   There is no disfigurement of the donor’s face Ø   Cataracts and glasses are due to conditions related to the lens and not the cornea Ø   Eyes can be donated only AFTER death Dr. Ghaswala takes us through the entire procedure of eye donation and eye transplant as well as he takes us through the process of: Enucleation procedure Eye ball relay in igloos Tissue (cornea) processing Cornea preservation and evaluation Keratoanalysis Serology (blood testing) Keratoplasty (cornea grafting) Keratoplasty (surgery) Finally, Dr. Ghaswala leaves with the message that conveys it all, “YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!”