" Recogonised as a model eye bank by Govt. of India "

The eye is a very important organ in the body. The ability to see things around us is required for every small task we do. We can imagine the plight of blind people by just closing our eyes for a few seconds. We will be severely handicapped!!! But for millions of children and adults, the view of the world is clouded by vision problems and the pictures that shape their world are blurred, distorted, or blocked completely.

The cornea is the clear glass like surface at the front of the eye. Should the cornea become cloudy from disease, injury, infection, or any other cause, vision will be dramatically reduced. A corneal transplant is the surgical procedure which replaces a disc shaped segment of an impaired cornea with a similarly shaped piece of a healthy donor cornea.

The first corneal transplant took place in 1905.

According to Indian council of Medical Research (ICMR) study on blindness, about 25% of the total blind in India are blind due to corneal blindness. So, out of these 2.5 million blind people, even if 1 million or so are blind by a curable corneal disease, we require really a large number of people to donate their eyes if we want to treat these patients.

The Sankara Eye Bank Coimbatore started functioning from 1987 with a twofold mission: to promote organ and tissue donation through a program of public and professional education and donor registration; and to procure and distribute eye tissue for transplant surgery.

Although the cornea is the most commonly transplanted tissue, the white outer covering of the eye, called the sclera, is also preserved and used for reconstructive surgery.

Whole eyes are not transplanted

Eye donation forms are available at any eye bank, which can be filled and submitted at any eye bank. An assurance will be obtained from the donor's relative that the relative will inform an eye bank in time whenever death occurs. It is also essential for them to sign a consent form before the eyes can be removed.

When you come across death…. please do the following....

• Convince the relatives of the “Gift of Vision” which only they can impart.
  
• Close the eyes of the deceased.
  
• Raise the head with a pillow and put off the fan.
  
• Put a polythene cover with few ice cubes on forehead.
  
• Inform eye bank immediately.