information about eye banking

1. OPTOM SWATI.
Bhartimaiya college
of optometry

2. What is Organ Donation??
 “Organ donation is the process of surgically removing
an organ or tissue from one person and placing it into
another person .
 Transplantation is necessary because the recipient’s
organ has failed or has been damaged by diseases or
injury”

3.  Heart
 Kidney
 Liver
 Pancreas
 Intestine

4. Tissues are:
 Corneas
 Bone
 Heart valves
 Skin
 Blood Vessels

5.  Heart Valves : can be transplanted to save lives of
children born with heart defects, and adult with
damaged heart valves.
 Skin : can be used as a natural dressing for people with
serious burns. It can even save lives by stopping
infections.
 Bone : is important for people receiving artificial joint
replacements , or replacing bone that has been
removed due to illness or injury.
For eg: Hand and face transplants.

6.  Tendons : the elastic like cords that attach bones and
muscles to each other , can be donated to help rebuild
damaged joints.
 Blood stem cells : Healthy adults between the ages 18-60
can donate blood stem cells. In order for blood stem cell
donor must have a closely matched tissue type or leukocyte
antigen(HLA).
Blood stem cells that healthy volunteers can be donated
are:
1. Bone marrow
2. Cord blood stem cells
3. Peripheral blood stem cell

8. Importance of Eye donation
Eyes are one of the most important sensory organs in the
human body because it renders vision and the power
to see.
Visually impaired people feel that their life is incomplete
as they can just touch , feel and smell things but can’t
see it.
Types of impairments are:
• Colour Blindness
• Corneal Blindness

9. Colour vision
 Color-blindness is the inability to distinguish the
differences between certain colors. This condition
results from an absence of color - sensitive pigment in
the cone cells of the retina, the nerve layer at the back
of the eye.

12. Corneal blindness
 The cornea is the clear tissue covering the front of the
eye.
 It is a focusing element of the eye.
 The vision is dramatically reduced or lost if the cornea
become cloudy. this loss of the vision is referred to as
corneal blindness.
 When the eye is affected only by corneal diseases
replacing this part will restore the vision in such
people.

14. HISTORY
 Eduard konrad zirm was an ophthalmologist who
performed the first successful human full thickness
corneal transplant on 7 December 1905.

15. Purpose of Eye Bank:
Eye bank is an organization which deals with the
collection , storage and distribution of the cornea for
the purpose of corneal grafting ,research and supply of
the eye tissue for ophthalmic purpose.

16. Functions of Eye bank
include:
1. Promotion of eye donation by increasing
awareness about eye donation to the general
public.
2. Registration of the pledger for eye donation.
3. Collection of donated eyes from the deceased.
4. Receiving and processing the donated eyes.
5. Prevention of tissue for short, intermediate
,long or very long term.

17. 6. Distribution of donor tissues to the corneal
surgeons.
7. Research activities for improvement of the
preservation methodology, corneal
substitute and utilisation of the other
components of the eye.

18. Eye bank personnel include:
1. Eye bank in charge : He should be a qualified
ophthalmologist to evaluate , process and
distribute the doner tissue.
2. Eye bank technician : The duties of trained eye
bank technician are:
 To keep the eye collection kits ready.
 To assist in enucleation of donor eyes.
 To record data pertaining to donor material and
waiting list of patients.

19.  To process and treat the donor eyes with
antibiotics.
 To assist in corneal preservation and storage.
 To maintain asepsis in the eye bank.
3. Clerk-cum-storekeeper :
 To maintain meticulous record.
 To coordinate with other eye banks.

20.  To deal with other eye bank and exert with
efficiency regarding donor’s correspondence.
 To distribute cornea to eye surgeons/banks.
4. Medical social worker or public relation
officer required:
 To supply publicity material to common
public.

21.  To promote voluntary eye donation.
5. Driver-cum-projectionist is required:
 To maintain vehicle of eye bank.
 To screen films of eye donation promotion
in the community.

22. Eye collection centre:
 These are the peripheral satellite of an eye bank for
better functioning. One collection centre is viably
located at an urban area with a population of more
than 2,00,000. About 4-5 collection center's are
attached with each eye bank.

23. Functions of eye collection centre are:
 Local publicity for eye donation.
 Registration of voluntary donor.
 Arrangement for collection of eyes after death.
 Initial processing, packing and transportation of
collected eyes to the attached eye bank.

24. Personnel needed for eye collection centre are:
 Ophthalmic technician trained in eye bank.
 Local honorary workers/voluntary agencies like Lions
club, Rotary club etc. to boost the eye donation
campaign.
 Services of honorary ophthalmic surgeon or medical
officer trained in enucleation available on call.

25. Legal aspect: The collection and use of donated eyes
come under the preview of ‘The Transplantation of
Human organs Act ,1994’.
Facts about eye donation:
 Almost anyone at any age can pledge to donate eyes
after death ; all that is needed is a clear healthy cornea.

26.  The eyes have to be removed
within six hours of death.
 Eye donation gives sight to two
blind persons as one eye is
transplanted to one blind person.
 The eyes can be pledged to an eye
bank and can be actually donated
to any nearest eye bank at the time
of death.
 The donated eyes are never bought
or sold.

27.  Eye donation is never refused.
 The eyes cannot be removed from a
living human being in spite of
his/her consent and wish.