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Lead kindly light...
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Can you imagine waking up in the middle of the night surrounded by darkness? Groping in the dark even for two minutes is arduous. It is easy to imagine what light would mean to an individual who has never seen it. SOMA BASU and T.SARAVANAN check out the eye donation scenario during the national fortnight.
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VALENTINE'S DAY, Friendship Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day... perhaps each of these days are well heard of. Thanks to the promotional activities of the various "agents of emotions", who sell their stuff — like cards, gifts and cakes — tugging at our hearts. But how many of us are aware of the fact that not a "Day" but an entire fortnight just passed seeking some "light" for those unfortunate individuals who are surrounded by darkness.
August 25 to September 8 is nationally observed as the Eye Donation Fortnight. It was introduced in 1986 with Rajiv Gandhi pledging his eyes as the then Prime Minister. Away from all brouhaha and media glare, silently few people may have and may be contributing to the cause.
Worthy contributions
Like in this house at K.K.Nagar, where on the walls hang two simple certificates of appreciation. A 14-year old girl and her grandmother fought losing battle against cancer and old age respectively and died within a month. In a moving gesture, the family decided to donate their eyes and gave the most miraculous gift of sight may be to two, three or four blind persons depending on how the two pairs of cornea were used.
Like this unsung headmaster of a school in remote Ayakaranpullan village in Nagercoil, who single-handedly helps grief-stricken relatives overcome their moment of despair and motivates them for donating the eyes of the lost member. He has been instrumental in ensuring 87 pairs of eyes in a matter of seven months.
Like this kiosk owner in Virudhnagar who, in collaboration with Lions Club, helped in surpassing Kumbakonam which led in number of cornea collections with 150 donors last year. He got 20 more donors from his district. His style of working is to print posters or use the cable TV to the hilt publicising the noble gesture of the donor's family, which in turn inspires others.
Such efforts may appear like a drop in the ocean. But they certainly can't be ignored. Eye donation has not really caught on in the country given the all round ignorance that breeds myths.
Significance of eye donation
Money cannot restore sight. Only donation of eyes after death can bring light into the lives of the needy. A willing heart and a steely resolve is needed to donate eyes.
Poster depicting significance of eye donation.
If you decide to gift your eyes after death and let that wish be known to your friends and relatives, kith and kin, who in turn remember to honour your wish when the hour comes, a lot of darkness can be dispelled. Despite voluntary efforts and government measures, increased the public awareness during past decade and celebrities trying to give a fillip to the eye donation movement, the gap between demand and supply of corneas in the country is overwhelming. India holds one-fourth of the world's total blind population. An estimated 13 million people are blind, of which three million are affected by corneal blindness. Against an annual requirement of one lakh corneas, the 200-odd registered eye banks across the country are able to collect a total of only 22,000 corneas in a year.
TN major contributor
But encouraging news is that Tamil Nadu contributes almost one-fourth to this collection and stands third after Maharashtra and Gujarat in eye donation. And further, one-third of the State's figure comes from the Temple City and adjoining areas.
There are a dozen recognised eye banks in the State but Madurai is the address for the country's one of the five international eye banks.
The Rotary-Aravind International Eye Bank (RAIEB) at the Aravind Eye Hospital networks with 26 eye donation centres under the aegis of 800 Lions Club spread over 13 surrounding districts.
Last year, they banked nearly 1,500 corneas, which by any stipulation is nowhere near adequate. Admits Medical Director, Dr. M.Srinivasan: "Nobody talks about eye donation the way it ought to be. Medicos at district or taluk or primary health centres have a lot of other things to talk about like family planning, polio, TB, immunisation. Ophthalmologists prefer doing cataract and other surgeries because it earns revenue. Corneal surgery is more of a service. Though corneal transplantation is not ignored totally, it is not catching up either."
Rural people lack awareness
He feels though awareness about eye donation has increased among urban populace, rural masses have not really been tapped.
"A lot of convincing needs to be done for eye donation movement to gain momentum in rural pockets," says A. Bhagavathy, Executive Director of Vizhiygam Eye Hospitals, reaching out to the rural poor. The Vizhiyagam does a lot of promotional campaigns advocating eye donation.
Mere pledging no use
Dr.Srinivasan also sees futility in pledging because not even one out of 100 pledges translates into donation. "We have a lot of people coming to our eye collection centres on anniversaries or some personal remembrance days and pledging their eyes.
But there is no follow-up later. The purpose is lost under a cloud of social and religious taboos, myths and misconceptions, improper infrastructure and untrained personnel or lack of motivation among staff or ignorance among family members of the deceased," he lists.
Consented eye donation
Sharing the same view P. Thiagarajan, Medical Officer, Cornea Clinic and Eye Bank, GRH, says: "Willing donation of the eyes during lifetime through pledges is not successful.
The same is the case with the medico-legal cases (deaths due to accidents and suicides) and unclaimed cadavers. The successful type is consented eye donation.
After getting proper consent from the family members and relatives of the deceased the eye is retrieved and preserved."
While continuous counselling and awareness programmes are the need of the hour to put eye donation on the fast track, the Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme (HCRP) also needs to be effectively implemented. With low number of corneas available and a universal acceptance rate of just 40 per cent, the RAIEB is unable to follow equitable distribution."
" Though claiming that it entertains every request for a cornea from other hospitals, it is able to give out only five per cent of its collection while 95 per cent of the corneas goes to Aravind and its conglomerates for transplant.
For namesake, Madurai has an eye bank at Government Rajaji Hospital too, which lacks processing facilities.
In fact, a new Government plan envisages merger of all small and non-functioning eye banks in order to pool in resources and efforts.
"Under the HCRP, Aravind has promised to place a counsellor at GRH who would be revolving around the head injury, intensive care, burns and trauma wards. Whenever a prospective donor is found, the concerned doctors will be informed," Dr. Thiagarajan informs. There are more than 80 lakh deaths per year in India. But corneal donation is only a few thousands.
Only the "sight ambassadors" can serve the society after death. And there is definitely a need for more.
`Life after death' may sound too mythological but it has come true in the case of eye donation.
FACTS ABOUT EYE DONATION
Cornea is the clear tissue covering the front of the eye and is the focussing element of the eye.
Injuries, infections, diseases, malnutrition, congenital disorders, chemical burns and post-operative factors are the main causes of corneal blindness.
Sight restoration is possible with corneal transplant.
You can make eye donation your family tradition.
Anyone of any age can donate eyes, even those who have undergone cataract surgery, wear spectacles, are hypertensive, suffer from diabetics, asthma or tuberculosis.
Eyes are never removed from a living person. Once death occurs in a family, call the nearest eye bank immediately (PH: Aravind Eye Bank-5356100 and GRH eye bank-2532535, 98941-07896).
The donor need not be taken to the eye bank. The team comes and removes the eyes without disfiguring the face.
Five ml. Blood is drawn from the donor to test for AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, Rabies, septicemia, leukemia or any other infectious diseases.
Eye banks are non-profit organisations and retrieved cornea are supplied free to surgeons for transplant. There is no money involved in eye donation.
Eyes have to be removed within 4 to 6 hours of death and can be preserved upto four days.
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