Your Role in Eye Donation

By deciding to donate eyes, you give someone the most precious gift of a chance to see the world.

You can help by:

To donate eyes, these important procedures should be followed by the relatives of the deceased:

In the event of death contact the nearest eye bank as quickly as possible.
Switch off the fan
Raise the head of the deceased slightly by placing a pillow underneath
Close the eye lids of the deceased
Give the correct address with specific landmarks and telephone number to enable the eye bank team locate the place easily
If the death certificate from the physician is available, keep it ready
Eye donation can be done only with the written consent of the next of kin in the presence of two witnesses

Facts about eye donation procedure:

Eyes can be donated only after death
Eyes must be removed within 4 - 6 hours after death
Eyes can be removed by Registered Medical Practitioner only.
The eye bank team will remove the eyes at the home of the deceased or at a hospital
Eye removal does not delay the funeral since the entire procedure takes 20-30 minutes only
A small quantity of blood will be drawn to rule out communicable diseases
Eye retrieval does not cause disfigurement
Religions support eye donation
The identities of both the donor and the recipient are kept confidential

What happens after eye donation?

The donors family receives a certificate of appreciation from the eye bank
The eyes are taken to the eye bank and evaluated by a trained eye bank staff
Tests are carried out and the tissue is sent to the corneal surgeon
The waiting list is referred and the recipient is called for corneal transplant
Corneal transplant is performed
Periodic follow-up of the recipient is done over time to ensure that the graft is successful