Prasad Netralaya - Eye donation

More than 1,00,000 people have pledged their eye so far and more than 345 cornea transplants have been performed in our centres with good success.

Eye Bank

Prasad Netralaya is the first and only eye hospital with a registered eye bank in the district of Udupi. All eye banks are non-profit organizations with a mission to procure and provide donated human eye tissue to restore sight. These eye donations also provide vital tissue for research and education of ocular health and medicine. There are millions of people who are blind because of problems affecting the cornea. They can regain good vision by corneal transplantation with the help of eye donations. But the rate of eye donation is quite less and therefore, it is a noble deed to donate your eyes. To save another life.

Dr P Dayananda Pai Eye Bank - Mangalore

Netra Jyothi Indian Red Cross Society Eye Bank - Udupi

Prasad Netralaya - eye bank
Prasad Netralaya - eye bank
Prasad Netralaya - eye bank
Prasad Netralaya - eye bank

Change someone’s life. Pledge your eyes.

Anyone can donate his/her eyes irrelevant of age, sex or social status. It has been proven beyond doubt that almost everyone can donate their eyes. People who wear spectacles, with high B.P., diabetics, or people with systemic disorders like asthma, tuberculosis or even those who have undergone cataract surgery can donate eyes. The only criterion is a healthy and clear cornea (the thin transparent film that covers the eye).

The Pledge

The procedure for eye donation is divided into 3 parts. It first begins with a pledge that you take to donate your eye for a greater cause. This pledge is preferable, but not necessary.

The next step is to gain the consent of the next of kin to donate after the death of the individual, to take the responsibility of calling the eye bank to retrieve the eye of the deceased and to implement the instructions of the eye bank to help keep the corneas in a good condition until they arrive.

The Procedure

The procedure for eye donation is divided into 3 parts.

  • It first begins with a pledge that you take to donate your eye to a greater cause. This pledge is preferable, but not necessary.
  • The next step is to talk to your family about your desire to donate. This will enable your family/next of kin to carry out your wishes at the time of need.

*Remember that even if you have pledged your organs, no donation will take place unless your family/next of kin consent.

  • Finally, at the time of death, your family/next of kin must take responsibility for contacting the eye bank to recover the deceased’s eye and follow the eye bank’s instructions to preserve the corneas in good condition until they arrive.

To The Donor

  1. Fill out the pledge form available in eye banks informing your intention of donating your eyes.
  2. You can either fill out the physical form at the eye bank or register online.
  3. We will send you the donor card. Please preserve this card carefully.
  4. Discuss your intention of eye donation with your family doctor and relatives.
  5. Declare your intention to donate your eyes in your will.
  6. If you shift to a new house, record the address and telephone number of the new eye bank nearest to you.

The Donor’s Relatives

The relatives of the donor have the authority and moral responsibility to donate the eye of the deceased, especially if the donor expressed his desire during his/her lifetime. Hence, it’s important to inform your family about eye donation.

Procedure to be done after the death of the donor

The patient has to be kept in a separate room. The team of doctors then remove the eyes under aseptic precautions. The eyes will be kept in sterile containers and in a cold chamber. Soon after, the socket is filled with Artificial Eyes and sutured, so that the absence of the eyeball is not noticeable. There will not be any disfigurement of the face even after the eyeball is removed.

 The retrieved eyes will be taken to the hospital where the cornea is removed and used to transplant in cornea blind patients.

Important Steps Before Eye Donation

  1. Contact the eye bank as soon as possible.
  2. Close the eyelids and cover it with a moist cotton ball and keep it moist till the eye bank team arrives
  3. Switch the fan off (Switch on the air conditioner if possible).
  4. Raise the donor’s head by 6 inches by placing two pillows under it.
  5. Please note that a blood sample is collected from the donor to check for HIV, Hepatitis, etc.,
  6. Keep the consent of the family members of the deceased donor ready, as it is mandatory.

Procedure to be done after the death of the donor / non donor

When the death is certain and confirmed, like a relative or a friend, you must inform the Prasad Netralaya Eye Bank to send an eye bank team.

Ph : 0820-2527956, 2593323, 2593324 call : 18004251919

It’s advised to place ice cubes over the eyes.  What must also be remembered is that eye donation must be done as soon as possible. The eyes can only stay fresh for 6 hours post death.

Costs

There are no fees involved in the donation/collection of the eye. The eye collection center will voluntarily send a doctor to the donor’s home. This is a free service in the public interest.

All eye banks are non-profit organizations with a mission to procure and provide donated human eye tissue for sight-restoring transplantation procedures as well as providing vital tissue for research and education.

For Donor

  1. Fill the pledge form available in eye banks informing your intention of donating your eyes.
  2. We will send you the donor card.  Please preserve this card carefully.
  3. Discuss your intention of eye donation with your family doctor and relatives.
  4. Declare your intention to donate your eyes in your will.
  5. If you shift to a new house, record the address and telephone number of the new eye bank nearest to you.

Eye Bank Toll Free Number 18004251919

eye bank certification-Prasad Netralaya