BY DR AALIA RASOOL SUFI
Blindness continues to be one of the major public health ailments in developing countries which leads to physical, social and economic dependence of the blind on the family and society.
World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 39 million people are blind in the world and corneal blindness accounts for 4% of the total blind population. India has the world’s largest corneal blind population and corneal blindness is the second leading cause of blindness after blindness due to cataract.
Scenario in Kashmir
A study done in Government Medical College Srinagar in 2019-2020 documented that the most common causes of corneal blindness in Kashmir were corneal infections (57.54%), bullous keratopathy (17.30%), trauma (10.26%),and advanced keratoconus (7.60%).
In comparison to other causes of blindness like cataract and retinal disorders that are primarily seen in the older age group, 87 % of the cases of corneal blindness were seen in people less than 50 years of age. Therefore the impact of corneal blindness (i.e. total blind years) is greater.
How to combat the problem of corneal blindness
Most of the cases of corneal blindness are treatable and require corneal transplantation for rehabilitation. Corneal transplantation is a surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced by a healthy donor corneal tissue. Corneal transplantation remains to this day one of the most successful and most often performed human transplants.
Need for eye donation in Kashmir
We have performed 188 successful corneal transplantations at GMC Srinagar. However we still have a burden of 141 patients awaiting surgeries in spite of having trained Cornea Specialists and well equipped operational facilities at GMC Srinagar. This backlog is
primarily due to the unavailability of healthy corneal tissue.In the absence of eye donation in Kashmir, we have to procure corneas from eye banks outside the state . Thus there is a dire need of eye donation in Kashmir and a need to dispel myths and misconceptions persisting among people discouraging eye donation.
Myths and facts about eye donation
l People fear that eye donation disfigures the donor’s body and affects funeral arrangements. After the removal of the eye, the eye lids are closed thus causing no disfigurement. The procedure is respectful and is completed in about 10 minutes and does not delay funeral arrangements.
l People also wrongly assume that the body needs to be taken to the doctor. Families just need to call the eye bank, and the team comprising the doctor and paramedics will come at the place most convenient to the family be it the house, hospital or the place of funeral.
l Finally, the most common myth is that religion objects to eye donation. However religious scholars all over the world advocate eye donation and consider it as an act of kindness and a service to mankind.
Who can be an Eye Donor?
Persons of any age, sex, spectacle wearers, those with diabetes, or hypertension can donate eyes after death.
Those with infectious diseases like Hepatitis, AIDS, or those who suffer from any neurological disease cannot donate eyes. Additionally, eye donation is not possible in the event death is due to blood Cancer or due to an unknown cause.
The consent of the next of kin is essential for removing the eyes after a person’s death.It is therefore important to share your wish to donate eyes with your family members, when one is alive.
Eye donation is a true testament to the spirit of human compassion and kindness. It holds the potential to bring light to darkness and offer a new lease on life to those living in the shadows of blindness. In this Eye Donation fortnight celebrated from 25th August to 8th September, let us come together as a society, dispel myths, and embrace the act of eye donation as a way to leave a meaningful legacy and restore sight to those who need it the most. One donor can illuminate the lives of at least two blind people.This act of generosity not only improves the recipient’s quality of life but also honors the legacy of the donor by allowing them to live on through the eyes of another.
Dr Aalia Rasool Sufi, Cornea and Refractive Surgeon, Consultant Department of Ophthalmology, GMC Srinagar