Over 50 Per Cent Of Donated Eyes 'Go To Waste' In India

Thousands of donated eyes are going to waste across the country in government eye banks. Why? Because they are either infected with diseases, or because of delays in reaching the eye bank. 

As per the data available with Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre of Ophthalmic Sciences at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), while the number of eye donations has increased from 2009 to 2013 from 680 to 1,321, the proportion of unused eyes also increased from 185 to 400. 
Perturbed authorities have called for a law to make eye donation mandatory to combat blindness in the country.

“Almost half of the donated eyes go waste due to various reasons. Major reasons are infection of some disease in the donated eyes and delay in reaching the eye bank that ruins the potential of the eye. 

"The delay occurs due to difficulty in convincing the family of the deceased. The eye has to be removed from a dead person within six hours after the death and it can be implanted in the next 24 hours,” said Dr Shakti Kumar Gupta, Medical Superintendent, Dr R. P. Centre, AIIMS. 

“Every donated eye is checked for the quality of cornea and diseases if any. Tests for various diseases like HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) are done before implanting the eye in a blind person,” said. 

Concerned AIIMS authorities have placed eye counsellors at various department of the hospital. 

“Despite all these arrangements, it is difficult to use all the donated eyes. Eyes from old people in the age of 70-80 are of least use because the cornea is already blurred. 

"Young people should be encouraged to donate eyes in case of brain death,” Dr Gupta added.