Information About How To Pledge To Donate One’s Eyes After Death

Want to let your eyes live beyond your life? Almost at any age one can pledge to donate one’s eyes after death. The donor can pledge to donate his/her eyes after death while alive, or his/her family members can pledge after his/her death. Even if the donor wears glasses, has cataract or has undergone eye surgery successfully, he/she can donate his/her eyes. All that is needed is a healthy cornea.

All that you need to do is a pledge by filling up a pledge card (Form No. 1) and signing on it in any of the authorized opthalmological institutes in the State you belong to. In Assam, the Regional Institute of Opthalmology, GMCH (9954095037/8876504320); the Department of Opthalmology, Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh (9957059877); the Department of Opthalmology, Silchar Medical College; Sankardeva Nethralaya, Beltola, Guwahati (0361-2233444) and Jeuti Eye Bank, Jorhat (0376-2304500) are authorized eye donation institutes. Once the pledge is made through the filling up of the pledge card, the institute concerned will give you a certificate of eye donation.

The eyes need to be removed within six hours of death, and hence the nearest eye bank or collection centre must be informed immediately after the death of a donor. The eye bank will rush a doctor to the donor’s home. The doctor will remove the eyes in 10-15 minutes without taking any fees from the family. On reaching the eye bank, donated eyes are examined, processed and used for cornea transplant operation within 72 hours. Donated eyes are never bought or sold.

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