Eye Donation General Information
Only a human donor cornea can alleviate another person's corneal blindness. Corneal transplant surgery would not be possible without the thousands of generous donors and their families who have donated eye tissue so that others may see.
The Lions Eye Donation Service obtains, medically evaluates and distributes eyes donated by caring individuals for use in corneal transplantation. Eye banks are non-profit organisations. Eye donation is an opportunity to help restore someone's sight. Eye, organ, and tissue donation are consistent with the beliefs and attitudes of major religions.
The cornea is the clear surface at the front of the eye and is the main focusing element. Should the cornea become cloudy from disease, injury, infection or any other cause, vision will be dramatically reduced. A cornea 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 was performed in 1905. The first corneal transplant in Victoria was performed in the 1940's. Except for blood transfusion it is the oldest and most common form of human transplantation. In Australia, approximately 1700 corneal transplants are performed every year. More than 90% of cornea transplant operations are successful. Data from the Australian Corneal Graft Registry (one of the largest of its kind in the world) indicate that the Australian one year transplant survival for all conditions transplanted is 91.2%. Some conditions such as keratoconus have even higher success rates (98.1%). Not only can the cornea can be transplanted, the white of the eye, the sclera, is used in reconstruction surgery.
The great thing about corneal tissue is that everyone is a universal donor. Your blood type doesn't have to match. It doesn't matter what color your eyes are or how good your eyesight is. Donor age is not as important as for other organs or tissues - most eye donors are aged in their 70's. Aside from those suffering from severe infections, haematological malignancies or a few highly communicable diseases such as HIV and hepatitis, most causes of death do not render people unsuitable as donors. However, the need for corneal tissue is never satisfied.
Donors and eyes are carefully evaluated. If consent for research and teaching has also ben obtained corneas determined to be unsuitable for transplant may be used for medical research and teaching. The entire eye may be used for research and education. Research on glaucoma, retinal disease, eye complications of diabetes and other sight disorder helps to advance the discovery of the cause and effects other conditions This then leads to new treatments and cures.
There is absolutely no cost to the donor family. It is illegal to buy or sell human eyes, organs, and tissues. Any costs associated with eye donation are absorbed by the Lions Eye Donation Service. Nor is there any delay in funeral arrangements. Eye tissue procurement is performed within hours of death. Families may proceed with funeral arrangements without delay or interruption. Great care is taken to preserve the donor's appearance. Funeral arrangements, including a viewing if desired, may proceed as scheduled. Strict laws are in existence which protect the potential donor. Legal guidelines must be followed before death can be certified. The doctor certifying a patient's death is not involved with the eye donation or with the transplant. The gift of sight is made anonymously. Specific information about the donor family is not available to the recipient. The Lions Eye Donation Service will convey a recipients thanks to the donor family and if asked facilitate anonymous correspondence.
The Lions Eye Donation Service obtains, medically evaluates and distributes eyes donated by caring individuals for use in corneal transplantation. Eye banks are non-profit organisations. Eye donation is an opportunity to help restore someone's sight. Eye, organ, and tissue donation are consistent with the beliefs and attitudes of major religions.
The cornea is the clear surface at the front of the eye and is the main focusing element. Should the cornea become cloudy from disease, injury, infection or any other cause, vision will be dramatically reduced. A cornea 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 was performed in 1905. The first corneal transplant in Victoria was performed in the 1940's. Except for blood transfusion it is the oldest and most common form of human transplantation. In Australia, approximately 1700 corneal transplants are performed every year. More than 90% of cornea transplant operations are successful. Data from the Australian Corneal Graft Registry (one of the largest of its kind in the world) indicate that the Australian one year transplant survival for all conditions transplanted is 91.2%. Some conditions such as keratoconus have even higher success rates (98.1%). Not only can the cornea can be transplanted, the white of the eye, the sclera, is used in reconstruction surgery.
The great thing about corneal tissue is that everyone is a universal donor. Your blood type doesn't have to match. It doesn't matter what color your eyes are or how good your eyesight is. Donor age is not as important as for other organs or tissues - most eye donors are aged in their 70's. Aside from those suffering from severe infections, haematological malignancies or a few highly communicable diseases such as HIV and hepatitis, most causes of death do not render people unsuitable as donors. However, the need for corneal tissue is never satisfied.
Donors and eyes are carefully evaluated. If consent for research and teaching has also ben obtained corneas determined to be unsuitable for transplant may be used for medical research and teaching. The entire eye may be used for research and education. Research on glaucoma, retinal disease, eye complications of diabetes and other sight disorder helps to advance the discovery of the cause and effects other conditions This then leads to new treatments and cures.
There is absolutely no cost to the donor family. It is illegal to buy or sell human eyes, organs, and tissues. Any costs associated with eye donation are absorbed by the Lions Eye Donation Service. Nor is there any delay in funeral arrangements. Eye tissue procurement is performed within hours of death. Families may proceed with funeral arrangements without delay or interruption. Great care is taken to preserve the donor's appearance. Funeral arrangements, including a viewing if desired, may proceed as scheduled. Strict laws are in existence which protect the potential donor. Legal guidelines must be followed before death can be certified. The doctor certifying a patient's death is not involved with the eye donation or with the transplant. The gift of sight is made anonymously. Specific information about the donor family is not available to the recipient. The Lions Eye Donation Service will convey a recipients thanks to the donor family and if asked facilitate anonymous correspondence.
Tell your next of kin
That is the single most important step you can take to ensure you will become a donor at the time of your death. If you have made or will be making pre-need funeral arrangements, you may wish to tell your funeral director. There is now also an opportunity to register your wishes with the Australian Organ Donor Registry.
Talk to your family about donation and make sure they know your wishes. Everyone's individual decision is valid and should be respected. But as you make your decision, keep in mind that you may one day need a transplant yourself. At the time you are waiting for that transplant, won't you be hoping that someone just like you has made the decision to donate?
Talk to your family about donation and make sure they know your wishes. Everyone's individual decision is valid and should be respected. But as you make your decision, keep in mind that you may one day need a transplant yourself. At the time you are waiting for that transplant, won't you be hoping that someone just like you has made the decision to donate?
Why are corneas transplanted?
The two most common reasons for requiring a transplant are a clouding over and loss of transparency in the cornea in later life, as is the case with Bullous Keratopathy, or to the loss of the smooth rounded shape of the cornea meaning that light can not be regularly focussed into the eye, as occurs in Keratoconus. Other problems which may require a transplant include herpes virus infection of the eye, accidental injury to the eye, corneal scarring due to other trauma, hereditary or congenital corneal clouding, or severe bacterial infection.
Keratoconus
This condition involves the central cornea thinning and bulging forward, and may also be associated with central corneal scarring. It is usually bilateral though frequently one eye is more affected than the other. Its onset is usually at puberty, and is estimated to develop in 1 person per 20,000 people. While contact lenses can be used to maintain the regular shape of the cornea, in 5 to 10 percent of patients with keratoconus this will not give satisfactory results, and a corneal transplant is required. In Australia, it is the most common condition requiring a transplant, accounting for 31% of all transplants performed. It also has the highest success rate following transplantation, with 98.1% of transplanted corneas surviving the first year successfully, and 97.5% of grafts surviving past four years. Most recipients are between 20 - 45 years of age.
Bullous Keratopathy
Bullous keratopathy is a generic term for corneal oedema with the epithelium raised in blisters. It involves a loss of clarity and clouding over of the cornea, due to the gradual impairment of the endothelial cells responsible for keeping the cornea clear and healthy. It can occur for many reasons including hereditary susceptibility, previous eye surgery, or just simply advancing years. In Australia, it is the second most common condition requiring a transplant, accounting for 25% of all transplants performed. The success rate of a transplant for this condition, as measured by transplanted corneas surviving one year post-operatively, is 90.6%.
Success rates
Data from the Australian Corneal Graft Registry (one of the largest of its kind in the world) indicate that the Australian one year graft survival for all conditions is 91.2% decreasing to 80% at four years. Some conditions such as keratoconus have even higher success rates (98.1%).
