Eye donation offers an opportunity to restore sight and contribute to medical advancements. While “eyeball donation” is a common term, not the entire eyeball is transplanted; instead, specific tissues are recovered. This tissue donation helps individuals with vision impairment.
What Parts Are Donated?
The primary tissue donated from the eye is the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped outer layer at the front of the eye. It functions like a window, allowing light to enter and focus on the retina, crucial for clear vision. When the cornea becomes cloudy or damaged due to disease, injury, or infection, vision can be reduced or lost, making corneal transplantation a necessary procedure.
Beyond the cornea, other tissues can also be donated. The sclera, the white protective outer layer of the eye, can be used in reconstructive eye surgeries, including for glaucoma or to repair damage. The entire eye, even if not suitable for transplant, can also be used for medical research and education, for insights into eye diseases and training medical professionals.
Who Can Donate?
Most individuals can be eye donors, regardless of age, eye color, or vision quality. For example, people who wear glasses, have had cataract surgery, or suffer from conditions like diabetes or hypertension are often still eligible. Even individuals with poor vision or previous eye diseases can donate, as these conditions may not affect the cornea, the most frequently transplanted eye tissue.
Few absolute disqualifiers exist for eye donation. Conditions such as active eye infections, HIV, hepatitis, certain systemic infections, and some cancers (like leukemia or lymphoma) typically prevent donation to ensure recipient safety. However, medical professionals determine tissue suitability at donation, following a thorough assessment of the donor’s medical history.
The Donation Process
The eye donation process begins following a person’s death, with eye banks typically notified by hospitals or organ procurement organizations. If the individual registered as a donor, or if next of kin provide consent, the eye bank proceeds with recovery. Eye tissue, particularly the cornea, needs to be recovered within 4 to 12 hours after death for viability.
Trained eye bank technicians or ophthalmologists perform the recovery procedure, a surgical process under sterile conditions. This procedure takes 15 to 30 minutes and does not cause disfigurement, allowing for open-casket funerals. After recovery, the donated tissue undergoes evaluation, including microscopic examination and testing for infectious diseases, to meet strict transplantation criteria.
The Impact of Eye Donation
Eye donation impacts the lives of individuals suffering from corneal blindness, a condition where the cornea becomes cloudy, impairing vision. This can result from various causes, including infections (bacterial, viral, fungal), injuries, genetic disorders like keratoconus, or other conditions. Corneal transplantation can restore vision, reduce pain, and improve the appearance of an unhealthy cornea.
Corneal transplants are among the most common and successful human transplantations, often exceeding 90% success. Tens of thousands of corneas are provided for transplant in the U.S. annually, and over 2 million people worldwide have had their sight restored through corneal transplantation since 1961. One eye donor can provide sight to two individuals and contribute to research.