Editorial:
It is a matter of great concern that in-spite of lot of
efforts, the eye collection figure is stagnating around
the 20,000 figure for the last 5 years. This figure will
only cover the freshly added corneal blind. Our efforts
with electronic media and focused campaigns during the Eye
donation Fortnight since 1986 along with conferences & felicitation
of eye donor families have not yielded results as expected
to reach our target of 1 lakh cornea per year by year 2005.
This can only be achieved by doubling the eye donation by
existing working eye banks & to activate the sleeping eye
banks, which are nearly 200 in our country. I strongly feel
that this could be achieved only by implementation of programmes
by the central & state government agencies, which can really
motivate active NGO's, Medical Collages & District Hospitals
to perform together with Cataract Blindness in DBCS.
This is the right time when the EBAI should give the accreditation
to the member eye banks to promote good eye banking & liaison
with Government for funding of awareness programmes and
upgradation & renovation of eye bank. I have been working
in the Central Zone since 1990 in the oldest living city
of earth "Kashi" where lot of people come for salvation,
more voluntary eye donations are received compared to HCRP.
The major Government hospitals with lot of ICU's & high-risk
department like Cancer, Heart, Kidney & others, do not allow
eye banks to start retrieval of cornea from hospital deaths
by motivating the families, in-spite of repeated requests
and reminders. Therefore, it is the duty of Government to
activate & direct the hospitals to start working closely
with eye banks for retrieval of cornea from hospital deaths.
The delay in post-mortem could really affect our efforts
& therefore, needs cooperation from Police personnel. Other
states could follow the paths chosen by Rajasthan & Andhra
Pradesh.
In UP and many states there is no eye bank Cell and therefore
there is no knowledge about NPCB Grants for strengthening
eye banks and also for collection of cornea. In the densely
populated states like UP, MP & Bihar many of the corneal
blindness prevailing in children below 12 years can be prevented
by proper distribution of Vit "A" drops. A survey by Varanasi
Eye Bank Society showed that paramedical staff & medical
practitioners of immunization centers are not aware of Vitamin
A Immunisation. The Government should take up the task of
Vit "A" drops immunization along with "Pulse Polio" with
the help of NGO's.
Direct Corneal Scleral Button in MK Medium, could greatly
increase the life of cornea and can be preserved upto 96
hours after excision. RMP's & trained technicians should
adopt this technique and it would also help in motivating
the family, as the whole eyeball is not removed. The advancement
of the technique of corneal transplantation like deep Anterior
Laminar Keratoplasty does not require healthy Endo Epithelium
of donor and can also solve the problem of low utilization
rate of 41%.
Last but not least eye bank movement should try….try….try
till it succeeds; I think the message of Mr. Shiv Khare
"winners do not different things, They do things differently
can go a long way in motivation of large population and
all religions to alleviate suffering of 2.5 million Corneal
Blind.
| - Dr.Sunil Kumar Sah |
|
| Lalitha Raghuram - A Tribute |
| By Suresh Guptan, Life member, EBAI |
Two people inspired me to be an EBAI Life
Member. One was Lalitha Raghuram and the other was her mentor
Gullapalli N.Rao. I was introduced to her in 1994 by the
S.Asia Director of Sightsavers, D.Nagarajan, as we listened
to flowery speeches by Frederick Griffith of IFEB and others.
She looked naïve and rather lost at the 5-star function
hosted in a downtown Mumbai hotel. No one had told me that
she had weathered Dr.Rao's whiplash anger and passion for
quality while serving as Hospital administrator in charge
of patient care at L.V. Prasad Eye Institute until he had
shrewdly judged her future worth, and released her for the
Executive Director's crown of thorns at EBAI.
We got along together from day one as smoothly as dosa and
chutney. EBAI was virgin territory in those early days and
she saw and relished great challenges everywhere. I remember
my fears when Paramount offered us 'Schindler's List' in
six cities. " Can we do it?" I had asked. EBAI was a bunch
of greenhorns, but she didn't blink. "Sure, we can " she
snapped, and smoothly netted over Rs 5.00 lakhs for the
kitty. Later, when Aishwarya fluttered her green eyes and
said 'Yes' to EBAI, Lalitha again was the one that steadied
the whole show with a supreme " can do" attitude. O & M
funded it and Doordarshan and private companies telecasted
it - something no one believed possible, at near zero-cost.
The next time around she was more of a pro and blithely
bandied words and sallies with the Big B and Jaya Bachchan.
But there was much sweat along with the frolic. I recall
a session that lasted way beyond midnight at VENU Eye Institute
to polish off an appeal for government sponsorship of EBAI's
first ever HCRP Seminar at N. Delhi. And there were the
hectic travels to seed quality eye banking in six towns
at Kerala - II nd class long distance train trips, day long
meetings and seminars, followed by bus rides through half
the night to the next town. Phew ! Such a super strong work
commitment grew from the rock-steady support bestowed by
her parents and husband and mother-in-law and kids. Truly,
her fan following began at home.
Unfortunately, she had to learn about management on-the-job
at EBAI, and never got a sabbatical for the professional
training that she desired. And Dr. Rao said: " Lalitha was
never a 'detail' person". I agreed. So we quarreled often
and hard. But I learnt from her in the process. Starting
as a sensitive vulnerable individual, she had developed
over the years a worthy coolness in crises and a sort of
restrained yet forceful work ethic that I admired. And lesser
ones should have handled 'details' while she kept the big
picture in focus. A corpus of around Rs 50.00 lakhs, a membership
of over 900, a national boost for HCRP with a Rs 740.70
lakhs section 35 a/c IT exemption for hardware and sponsorship
worth Rs 15.00 lakhs, plus office systems and procedures
that boosted EBAI's brand equity, are some highlights of
the legacy she left behind.
Her parting regret was EBAI's collective failure as an NGO
to " value professionals and professionalism". With further
specialized training in the USA and UK, fresh corporate
and NGO challenges, and an entry into the Board of Trustees
of M.O.H.A.N. Foundation (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network)
she hopes to continue the nurturing of a switch from "doctors"
to "managers" in NGO interventions. Her move from corneas
to multi organs was both serendipitous and logical and if
social work is a one-way street, Lalitha happily remains
hard on track.
I wish her well.
|
| Statistics of Eye Collection and Utilisation for
the year 2002 |
Another year has rolled by and we are yet
again preparing to analyse the outcome of various initiatives
aimed at augmenting eye collection. Many things haven't
changed viz delays in receiving reports from member eye
banks, sending repeated reminders etc., The silver lining
is trend of increase in eye collection over the previous
year also has not changed and we continue bettering our
performance over the previous year. We wish that our member
eye banks would strive to change the habit of not sending
reports on time and maintain the trend of increased collection!
Unless we have the reports on time we would not be able
to summarise the performance and seek help from various
quarters to overcome the hurdles. Just like increase in
collection is a target for the eye bank, maintenance of
documents and the proper reporting to various agencies involved
in the movement should also be considered as an important
task. We would prefer this exercise to be done voluntarily
rather than be made mandatory through Government orders
or make it a pre condition for availing benefits etc.,
We would like to point out some discrepancies
that have been brought to our notice. We had reported a
total collection of 21697 eyes in the previous year. The
actual collection is 18717. The difference has been due
to dual reporting of collection in Mumbai and Madurai and
Tiruchy. The collection of Arpan Eye Bank, Tarun Mitra Mandal,
PD Hinduja Hospital Eye Bank, Hathibhai Kakalchand Eye Bank
etc, Rotary Arvind International Eye Bank, Joseph Eye Hospital
etc which have been included elsewhere, have been considered
once again against each individual eye bank. The error is
regretted and we thank Mr.Suresh Guptan, Life Member, EBAI
for pointing out this mistake.
We come across many mistakes in the reports sent to us like
cornea usage and cornea collection not tallying or corneas
sent to other eye banks or surgeons not having any utilization
report etc., We request our member eye banks to make sure
that accurate information is given the first time. This
would free some of our valuable manpower resources which
would be unnecessarily engaged in collecting the correct
information.
We have been analyzing the data from various perspectives
and what emerges is quite obvious. The Central, North and
East Zone have to substantially increase their performance
to catch up with other zones.
 |
We have witnessed an increase of 3.3% in
collection of eyes over the previous year. In number terms
we have collected 19352 eyes from all over India. It would
be interesting to note that 2% of the eye banks account
for 41% of all India collection and 76% of the known eye
banks account for only 5% of the total collection. The collection
can increase many fold if the 76% of the existing eye banks
start improving their performance. It is also quite likely
that many eye banks which are included in the 0-50 eyes
collection category may have been included in this category
as they may not have sent collection reports.
 |
 |
An analysis of the contribution of various
zones to the total collection of eyes in the year 2002 throws
up many interesting facts. South Zone has outperformed West
zone and has collected 2% more than West Zone and accounts
for 43% of All India Collection. North Zone has bettered
its previous year performance and accounts for 11% of All
India Collection up 1% from previous year's 10%. Central
Zone and East Zone continue with dismal record of collection.
What is surprising is the country's most populous state
and largest state (including Chhatisgarh and Uttaranchal)
account for a meager 2% of All India Collection. North Zone's
improved performance is also due to increased collection
from the state of Rajasthan. Many NGO's have taken keen
interest in the eye donation movement and have been conducting
various campaigns aimed at augmenting collection and eyes
and spreading awareness about eye donation.
The trend in percentage change in collection is interesting.
Though there is a steady increase in numbers collected the
percentage change over previous year has been oscillating.
The reasons being sudden spurt in collection in some states
and sudden decrease in some states. The eye banks in each
state have to have a common approach to tackle this problem.
EBAI has been for a very long time advocating networking.
If this can be implemented immediately we can ensure that
the eye collection are augmented.
 |
 |
We unfortunately do not have any utilization
report for 36% of the eyes collected and this skews the
utilization totally. From the available reports we find
that 31% of the eyes collected are utilized for OP.PK, 9%
for Th.PK and 1% for L.K while 23% which are found unfit
for surgery are used for practice and research purposes.
Usage of more than one third collection is unknown. This
utilization compares well with that of the advanced countries
like USA etc but we feel that we can be closer to the reality
if the fate of the 36% is also known.
 |
The collection of eyes state wise in each
zone has also brought out many facts. In west zone both
Gujarat Maharashtra have reported decreased collection.
EBCRC's concept of centralized collection and processing
center is working well and has reported increase in eye
collection over the previous year. However, the utilization
remains a matter of concern as only 17% of the total collection
has been utilized for optical keratoplasty. This concept
of centralized collection, processing and distribution network
optimizes use of the scantily available resources. EBAI
strongly recommends adoption of such a strategy all over
the country. Pooling of resources can result in augmenting
of eyes collection.
The trend in collection of eyes in South
zone shows higher percentage increase than the overall percentage
increase nationally. South Zone has shown an increase of
27% over the previous year whereas the percentage increase
all over India is only 3.3%.
The trend in collection of eyes in Central
Zone shows decrease of 32% over the previous year. Central
Zone has the potential to surpass the collection of West
zone and South Zone due to the population. The promotional
films on eye donation by Amitabh Bachan & Jaya Bachan and
Aishwarya Rai have the potential to motivate the Hindi speaking
population of Central Zone. The reach of Doordarshan and
Sahara TV on which the films are aired, if utilized properly,
can spread awareness in a big way.
The collection in North Zone shows mixed
trend. Chandigarh and Delhi have reported decreased while
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan have reported increased collection
over the previous year.
The major contributor in the East Zone,
West Bengal has reported 23% decreased collection over the
previous year. Overall there has been an increase in collection
of eyes in states like Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Kerala while states like Uttar
Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
West Bengal have reported decreased collection.
| News Items |
UK Children come to the aid of
corneal blind: Donations for corneal Blind from
Children In England |
An appeal made by the Trust Secretary
to friends Mr. and Mrs. V. Utsi in England has had a wholly
unforeseen result. The children of the family heard about
the Hospital. When their school was debating what social
project they would work for during the school year, this
idea of bringing eyes to the blind appealed to them the
most and they adopted The Bihar Eye Bank and Hospital as
their project. When they heard that if they could give 10
lakhs or more, they could have a unit named after their
school, they determined to do that. They have thought of
all sorts of ingenious ways to raise the money little by
little. The children of the Kindergarten Section, for instance,
imprinted their hands on a towel and made copies of these
to be sold to their parents. They also made four "feely"
pictures, which they sent to the Secretary. They have put
paper cuttings and various collage materials on poster paper
so that those who cannot see can feel them. Such thought
on the part of little ones between the ages of three and
five is truly moving. One day it was decided that students
could come to school without uniform if they paid a pound.
Older students had a "pub night" when they dressed up as
older people and drank soft drinks instead of alcohol. In
order to keep track of their progress, they had put up a
thermometer but at the end of the year, it was found that
the thermometer had exploded over the top. The Trust has
been able to undertake essential repairs and fund camps
and operations thanks to the efforts of children far away.
The main doctor's clinic is to be named "King's Ely Room"
in appreciation of their gift.
(Reproduced from letter sent by Dr.Pronoti sinha,
Secretary, Bihar Eye Bank Trust )
HCRP - Hospital Cornea Retrieval Program is gaining acceptance
and garnering excellent support from Sponsors, Hospitals
and Individuals alike. Donations to EBAI for Hospital Cornea
Retrieval Program has been given 100% exemption under Section
35AC.
ORBIS, an international NGO has accepted in principal
to participate in the HCRP programs as a major funding partner.
About 11 eye banks have been shortlisted for HCRP support.
We have had Hyderabad based Margadarsi Chitfunds Limited
sponsoring a five year HCRP, which is performing extremely
well. In the one year of existence it has resulted in collection
of more than 80 tissues.
HCRP sponsored by Allergan India Limited, Bangalore,
being carried out at four hospitals are in progress.
Ambuja Foundation sponsored HCRP at LTMG Hospital,
Mumbai has been found to be successful and the same has
been upgraded for Multi organ retrieval counseling. NTPC
sponsored HCRP for one year at St.Stephen's Hospital, New
Delhi is in progress and is ending shortly.
GKR Charities Mumbai & Chennai sponsored HCRPs are in
progress.
EBAI i nvites contributions to Punarjyoti,
the newsletter. Material may be sent under the following
heads
|
• |
|
Regional News |
|
• |
|
Achievers |
|
• |
|
Life of patient after corneal transplantation |
|
• |
|
View points |
We urge you to share your experiences
and knowledge with our readers and we look forward to your
support and cooperation in bringing out an informative newsletter
Punarjyoti readers have evinced great
interest in sharing their views with regard to different
campaigns for eye donation and eye banking. Some of their
views have been successfully implemented. We would urge
more and more readers to contribute to "View Point " and
make our movement successful.
Plastic Cornea Caps: EBAI now has stocks of Plastic
Cornea Caps to use after corneal excision. They are available
for Rs.8/- per pair. (Postal Charges will be extra). Members
who wish to acquire the caps may write to EBAI headquarters
with a Demand Draft payable to "Eye Bank Association
of India", Hyderabad.
| Slides on: |
1. |
|
Eye Donation - What is it ? |
|
2. |
|
Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme - What is it ? |
Have been compiled along with a book containing slide notes.
This is available to the members. This has come to you through
the sponsorship of ORBIS. Members who wish to acquire both
the sets of slides may write to EBAI headquarters with a Demand
Draft for Rs.400/ payable to "Eye Bank Association of
India", Hyderabad. This will take care of the handling
and courier expenses.
Artificial Eyes: EBAI has stocks of artificial eyes,
which can be placed after enucleation. These are available
for Rs.120/- per pair exclusive of postage. Members interested
in procuring these may please send Rs.120/- per pair by DD
or M.O.
Thermocole Boxes for safe transportation of Eye Balls Cornea:
These thermocole boxes ensure that the temperature of
the precious tissue within is maintained between 2°C and
8°C inspite of any normal ambient temperature extremes
encountered
anywhere in India. We recommend the regular
use of these thermocole boxes by all our members to help ensure
viability of collected eyeballs / corneas. The thermocole
boxes cost Rs.400 each. Please add postage and handling charges
of Rs.80 for each box ordered.
Moist Chamber Bottles: These are available separately.
Each bottle costs Rs.60/- and postal charges of Rs.40/- per
package of four bottles.
Publicity Material: Limited number of Posters, booklets,
brochures and pledge forms are available at EBAI. Please write
to us for your requirements.
Video cassettes and Video CDs are available on enucleation
and laboratory processing. The following are the details:
Video title: RECOVERY AND MANAGEMENT OF DONOR EYES
Authors: Dr Prashant Garg and Dr Usha Gopinathan
Abstract: The video demonstrates the standard methods of cornea/eye
retrieval from the donor. It illustrates in-situ corneo-scleral
rim excision, enucleation and laboratory processing of the
whole globe. It is a
must-see for anyone who is involved in the procurement of
donor corneas, from Eye Bank Technicians to Ophthalmologists.
Duration: 32:55 minutes English
Cost: Rs 500/-
Formats available: VHS video cassette or VideoCD
Payment must be made by Demand Draft or local cheque payable
at Hyderabad in favour of 'Hyderabad Eye Institute'. Please
enclose your payment along with a request for the video to
the following:
The A-V Producer
Central A-V Unit (CAVU)
L V Prasad Eye Institute
L V Prasad Marg
Hyderabad - 500 034
Andhra Pradesh
email addresses: Our email addresses now are,
ebai@tatanova.com,
ebai83@hotmail.com. Please note the change in e-mail
addresses.
|
• |
|
Have you informed us of your change in
address? If you have email and would like to receive
all correspondence through email, we would be happy
to do so. Just send us your email id. |
|
• |
|
· Have you renewed your membership?
If you have not already renewed membership, please do
it immediately. You may want to convert to life membership.
Consider it. The membership form is available in Punarjyoti.
Just fill it, tear it, make a Demand Draft, and mail
it to us. |
|
• |
|
Have you got the special number 1919 allotted
for the eye bank? Have you got the telephone number
of your Eye Bank printed in the telephone directory
under "Essential Services"? This is the most
important tool to let public know of your existence.
If you have not done it already, please contact the
local Directory Manager right away. |
|
• |
|
· All Eye Banks are requested to
send us the latest telephone numbers, as we would be
incorporating the telephone numbers in the pledge forms.
|
L.V.Prasad Eye Institute in association and support from
ORBIS and Eye Sight International organized Indian Eye Banking
Education Program (IEBEP) on February 14 and February 15 at
L.V.Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad. Excerpts from the discussions
and topics at IEBEP is given below:
Mr.P.K.Rath, Assistant Executive Director (Administration)
discussed about basic necessities and the legal aspects of
eye banking. Given below is a summary:
|
• |
|
Hospitals/Institutions (EB/EDC) engaged
in removal of human organs are required to be registered
under this Act |
|
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|
| • |
|
The application for registration
has to be addressed to Appropriate Authority constituted
by the State Government and submitted to the Director
of Health Services of that state. In some states
the DMET has been assigned the responsibility
of registration of eye bank. |
|
|
• |
|
Medical Practitioners can remove, store
or transplant human organs only at a place registered
under this Act. |
|
|
|
| • |
|
However, there is an exception
for eyes and ears, which the Act specifies, can
be removed at any place from the dead body of
any donor, for therapeutic purposes, by a registered
medical practitioner. Registered Medical Practitioner
means a medical practitioner who possesses any
recognized medical qualification as defined in
the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 and who is
enrolled on a State Medical Register. |
|
|
• |
|
The Act bars all sales of organs (including
cornea) |
|
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| • |
|
However, it does not debar or
restrict anyone from charging for services associated
with collection, processing, distribution and
transplantation. |
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• |
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Inclusion of "Required Request" provision |
|
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| • |
|
Required Request means that
it would be binding on the medical practitioner
attending the patient to request the next of kin
for eye donation in case of death of the patient |
|
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• |
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Removal of corneas from bodies sent
for post mortem |
|
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|
| • |
|
In this case the medical examiner
may provide the cornea to eye bank if no objection
by the next of kin is known by him/her, and if
the removal of cornea does not hinder/alter the
post mortem findings |
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|
• |
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Allowing Eye bank technicians to enucleate |
|
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|
| • |
|
At present only the registered
medical practitioner is allowed to remove corneas
which is practically not a feasible thing and
hampers the progress of eye banking |
|
|
• |
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Cooperation from the Police Department
in Medico-legal cases. |
|
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| • |
|
This is a pro-active measure
by EBAI in procuring circulars from the Police
Department Heads to their subordinates instructing
them to provide clearance for enucleation/excision
in medico-legal cases where the consent of the
relatives has been taken and to provide immediate
assistance to eye banks seeking information about
the relatives of the deceased in such cases.
|
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|
• |
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The Ministry of Law, Justice & Company
Affairs has agreed to: |
|
-- |
|
Include "Required Request" provision |
|
-- |
|
Removal of corneas from bodies sent
for post mortem |
|
-- |
|
Circulars from DIG, Jaipur Range, Rajasthan
& SP, Khammam District, AP to all SHOs/Inspectors. |
|
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| • |
|
EBAI would be writing to all
DGs requesting for similar circulars. |
|
BASIC NECESSITIES
Recommendation of the Study Group Meeting 1999 |
|
• |
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EYE BANK |
|
EYE DONATION CENTRE |
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Human Resource |
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-Panel of ophthalmic surgeons
|
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Panel of ophthalmic surgeons |
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-Oph. Technician 1 |
|
Oph. Technician 1 |
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-Social Worker cum Health Educator
1 |
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Social Worker cum Health Educator |
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-Driver cum projectionist 2 |
|
Driver cum projectionist 1 |
|
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Eye Bank |
|
Eye Donation
Centre |
|
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Board of directors |
Yes |
|
No |
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Medical director |
Yes |
|
No |
|
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Executive Director |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
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EB Manager |
Yes |
|
No |
|
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EB Technician |
Yes |
|
No |
|
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ED Counsellor |
Yes |
|
No |
|
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Secretary |
Yes |
|
No |
|
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Telephone Operator
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
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Panel of RMPs |
Yes |
|
Yes |
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Eye Bank |
|
Eye Donation
Centre |
|
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Slit Lamp |
Yes |
|
No |
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Refrigerator |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
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Laminar Flow Hood |
Yes |
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No |
|
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Instruments set 6 |
Yes |
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Yes |
|
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Telephone |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
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Serological Equipment
|
Yes(Access) |
|
Yes(Access) |
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Autoclave |
Yes |
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Yes(Access) |
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Specular Microscope
|
Yes |
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No |
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|
• |
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Excision set |
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(autoclaved) |
|
• |
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Enucleation set |
|
(autoclaved) |
|
• |
|
Linen pack |
|
(autoclaved) |
|
01. |
|
Betadine |
--- |
1 Bottle |
|
02. |
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Surgical Spirit |
--- |
1 Bottle |
|
03. |
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Normal Saline |
--- |
1 Unit |
|
04. |
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Genetamicin eye drops |
--- |
2 Vials |
|
05. |
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Bandage Rolls |
--- |
4 nos. |
|
06. |
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Meditape |
--- |
1 Roll |
|
07. |
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Massage Pads |
--- |
Sufficient |
|
08. |
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Gloves- 6, 61/2,7, 71/2,8 |
--- |
Each size 2 pairs |
|
09. |
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Surgical Blades Nos. 11 &
15 |
--- |
Sufficient |
|
10. |
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Scissors |
--- |
1 no. |
|
11. |
|
Disposable Syringe-10 cc |
--- |
2 or 3 nos. |
|
12. |
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Vaccutainer |
--- |
2 or 3 nos. |
|
13. |
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Polythene Covers |
--- |
2 nos. |
|
14. |
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Reusable Caps |
--- |
1 no. |
|
15. |
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Disposable Masks |
--- |
2 nos. |
|
16. |
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Soap Solution |
--- |
1 Bottle |
|
17. |
|
Artificial Eyes |
--- |
4 pairs (Different Sizes) |
|
18. |
|
Transparent Eye Caps |
--- |
10 nos. |
|
19. |
|
Torch with fresh Batteries |
--- |
1 no. |
|
20. |
|
Cotton swabs |
--- |
Sufficient |
|
21. |
|
Pledge forms |
--- |
10 or 15 |
|
22. |
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Visiting cards |
--- |
25 |
|
23. |
|
Sterile Buds |
--- |
15 nos. |
|
01. |
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S.S Tray |
--- |
1 |
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02. |
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Spring Scissor |
--- |
1 |
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03. |
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Strabismus Scissors |
--- |
1 |
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04. |
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Enucleating Scissors |
--- |
1 |
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05. |
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fixation forceps |
--- |
1 |
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06. |
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Artery forceps |
--- |
1 |
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07. |
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Enucleating spoon |
--- |
1 |
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08. |
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Muscle Hook |
--- |
1 |
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09. |
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Needle holder |
--- |
1 |
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10. |
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4-0 Sutures |
--- |
1 |
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11. |
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Moist Chambers (Eye Jars) |
--- |
2 |
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12. |
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Speculum |
--- |
1 |
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01. |
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S.S Tray(Small) |
--- |
1 |
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02. |
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Spring Scissor |
--- |
1 |
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03. |
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Castro-viejo Corneal Scissors
(L&R) |
--- |
1 (each) |
|
04. |
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fixation forceps |
--- |
2 |
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05. |
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Iris forceps |
--- |
1 |
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06. |
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Spring Speculum |
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1 |
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07. |
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Wire Speculum |
--- |
1 |
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08. |
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B.P. Blade Handle |
--- |
1 |
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09. |
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Lens Spoon |
--- |
1 |
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10. |
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Surgical Blades (11 & 15) |
--- |
1 (each) |
|
01. |
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S.S. Bowl with 4 Cotton Balls |
--- |
1 |
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02. |
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Sponge Holder |
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1 |
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03. |
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Eye Towel |
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1 |
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04. |
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Small Drapes |
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4 |
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05. |
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Body Drape and Head Drape
|
--- |
1 (each) |
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06. |
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Gown |
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1 |
| Strategies to Increase Eye Donation |
In the recently concluded IEBEP-2003 (Indian Eye Bankers Education
Program) held at L.V.Prasad Eye Institute on 14& 15th
February one of the topics for discussion was strategies to
increase eye donation and the discussion was conducted and
moderated by
Monty Montoya, Chief Executive Officer, Northwest
Lions Foundation for Sight & Hearing, Northwest Lions
Eye Bank, Seattle, Washington.
It was a lively discussion and generated tremendous interest
among the audience. All the participants involved themselves
actively in the discussion.
Mr. Monty Montoya asked the participants to suggest various
ways and means to increase eye donation.
The following are some of the suggestions from the participants:
Support from Local Celebrity
Support from Religious leader
Media Participation
Uniform Phone number
Professionalism in attending to eye donation calls. Better
availability of staff to attend to calls supported by peripheral
eye donation centers.
Awareness creation in rural areas
Involving youth
Increasing number of trained corneal surgeons
Publishing of recipient stories
Education and propaganda among hospital staff
Pro active legislation
Promotion through postal stamp
To include a line in death certificate so that certifying
physician has to seek the consent from close relatives of
the deceased before issue of death certificate
Networking of all eye banks
Pro active legislation like Presumed consent law
Family pledges promotion
Support from Police
Eliminate duplication and pool resources
Provide incentives for pledges
When put to vote, participants identified the following as
most effective tools:
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1. |
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Nation wide networking |
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2. |
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Training of hospital staff for HCRP |
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3. |
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Religious leader support |
| |
4. |
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Media support |
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5. |
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Better availability of staff |
|
6. |
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Unified phone no. |
When Mr. Monty Montoya exhorted the participants to further
narrow the choice the participants unanimously felt that a
nation wide networking of eye banks is a must followed by
comprehensive education of hospital staff for HCRP followed
by support from Religious leaders.
An interesting aspect about the participants is that they
were from all parts of the country. The outcome goes to show
that there is a convergence of views.
What remains is gradual evolution of a strong network of
eye banks and eye donation centers at various levels, working
towards elimination of duplication and pooling of resources
and educate the health care personnel coupled with Religious
leader's support.
We hope we would be able to discuss about the success of
such an initiative during the next IEBEP.
EBAI participated in a few exhibitions and also put up
a stall at National Games venues. Some of the photographs
are given below:
Eye Donation Fortnight Celebrations
Seventeenth Eye Donation Fortnight was observed from 25th
August to 8th September 2002 and the last day of the fortnight
was celebrated as Eye Donation Day.
Various Eye Banks, Voluntary organizations and NGO's all
over the country conducted various programs to popularize
eye donation and also to spread eye donation. Seminars, Talk
shows on Radio, television and cable tv network, rallies,
painting and essay competitions for school and college students
on eye donation, felicitation of eye donors, messages from
religious, political leaders during the fortnight, recorded
message on the telephone services etc were some of the campaigns
carried out by member eye banks and voluntary organizations.
Given below are some of the photographs of the various events:
Articles
An Unmatched Donation / Donate Eyes - Live Twice
Mrs. Jyoti Gurwara |
Donations are an essential part of our Indian culture. When
a person dies, his relatives donate monies food and the like
to ensure the peace of the departed soul. Religious agents
have taken the maximum advantage of this sentiment and belief
and have benefited materially from the same. The chautha (fourth
day), dasvi (tenth day), teharvi (thirteenth day) and the
anniversaries are celebrated in a grandiose way and the food
served is enjoyed by one and all in the name of the departed
soul. Uneducated and poor people are forced to borrow money
on heavy interest and perform these rituals because they fear
social boycott. Some actually believe that these rituals will
ensure the tranquility of the soul. The poor living souls
die a different kind of death, struggling to repay these debts.
The renowned Hindi writer Munshi Premchand wrote several stories
and novels based on this subject.
With better awareness and educational facilities, the situation
has changed slightly. However, the slight change is not enough.
Even today, highly educated people donate cows, land, gold,
grocery, clothes and other material things on the death of
their near and dear ones. Though the spirit of donation needs
to be appreciated, the significance of the donation is lost
if it is given to an undeserving person. But unfortunately,
that is what happens in most of the cases and those who receive
objects of desire without any effort on their part tend to
become lazy and inactive.
Why should one not go about donating in a more purposeful
manner?
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1. |
|
Grocery could be donated to orphanages
/ old age homes where it is more needed and will be
appreciated. |
|
2. |
|
Bearing the expenses for education of
a poor but deserving student can be another manner in
which one could express the desire to donate. |
|
3. |
|
Books, furniture and other such objects
could be donated to educational institutes |
|
4. |
|
Trees can be planted to keep the memory
alive but also improve the environment and give shade. |
|
5. |
|
Fruits and medicines and the like can
be provided to the sick and needy in hospitals. |
Thus, there are many such ways through which donations can
be made in the memory of the dead. Though they are different
from the traditional rituals, they are more purposeful, effective,
meaningful and appreciated.
In this context there is another type of donation, which
is 'eye donation'. Generally, when a person dies, the last
rites are performed by either burning or burying the body.
Would it not be a pleasant feeling to know that the eyes
of your near and dear one, who is no more, can still see
and are alive in someone else's body? Would it also not
give you satisfaction that you have been able to convert
someone's life form a dark and dreary one into one full
of colour and form?
If others can utilize an otherwise perishable part of our
body in this way after we have died, why should we then
not take a step towards this universal good?
In India there are approximately 40 lakh people who suffer
from blindness due to some defect in the cornea. 60% of
such cases are found in children below the age of 12 years.
Cornea is a thin transparent layer on the eye ball. When
a person donates his eyes, a healthy cornea is transplanted
in the place of a sick cornea. This transplantation is possible
only If the dead person has previously arranged for donating
his eyes after death.
It is ironical that the number of deaths in India are much
higher than the number of such blind people. If every person
decides to donate his/her eyes after death, there shall
be no blind person left in this country.
There are a few myths about eye donation among certain people.
Some people think that if they donate their eyes, it will
leave holes in the place where their eyes existed. This
is not true. For the cornea transplant, the whole eye is
not removed. In fact only a small part of the centre of
the eyeball is removed. Externally, the appearance of the
face of the deceased remains the same.
Some other people are of the opinion that if they donate
their eyes in this life, they shall be born blind in the
next life. This also is not true. Re-incarnation is a popular
belief among hindu's but what proof is there of a next life?
Also, even if the same soul does take re-birth, how can
the same body be used when it has been burnt on a pyre and
the ashes have been immersed into a river? What about the
organs like the kidney, liver or uterus which has been removed
during this life due to a disease or a limb which has been
cut off due to an accident? Christians and muslims, anyway
do not believe in re-birth. Why then, do they not donate
their eyes for a higher purpose? Eye donation is truly a
good deed and a good deed always begets good.
Some people hesitate to donate eyes during their life worrying
about how their relatives will react. Such people should
keep in mind that a little resistance should not hinder
the good deed that one is performing. As the awareness of
eye donations increases and the myths are exploded, people
will understand that donating ones eyes is justified and
indeed is a good deed. Today, wise educated men appreciate
such an act and eye donors are applauded in newspapers.
That is the reason renowned people propound the idea of
eye donation on television too.
All religious institutions support eye donation and consider
it as one of the best donations a person can do.
If you want to donate your eyes after you die, the procedure
is a simple one. The telephone numbers of eye donation institutes
are available in telephone directories. Family members should
be made aware of your desire to donate eyes after you die.
If a person expires in a hospital, the hospital authorities
can ensure that eye donation (or for that matter any other
organ donation) can take place smoothly.
Imagine the blessing a person gets when the blind begins to
see. There is a long queue in every hospital where people
are waiting for some eye donor to donate eyes or other organs,
which can be transplanted.
To take the message of eye donation and organ donation
further, some such suggestions as given below could be followed.
|
1. |
|
Banners and posters can be displayed
at public places like cinema halls, bus stands, temples,
exhibitions clubs, schools etc. |
|
2. |
|
In hospital, the declaration form
filled in by the patients family members should have
columns / options on eye donation (and other organ donations) |
|
3. |
|
Lessons on organ donations should
be included in textbooks in schools and colleges. Declamations
and debates should be organized on this topic. |
| |
4. |
|
Students could be asked to collect
declaration forms from their relatives or even start
a door-to-door campaign for the same. |
|
5. |
|
Religious leaders and politicians
should be asked to promote the idea of eye and organ
donation. |
|
6. |
|
Famous personalities, religious people
and politicians should lead by example by making such
donations themselves. |
Always remember that eye donation is one of the greatest
donations that one can ever make.
And that is why a poet rightly wrote
"Eyes are a precious gift to man.
But the same eyes bring misery when misused or when they
are lost.
A wise man utilizes this gift while alive and on death too."
The author is Principal, Sherwood Public School, Punjagutta,
Hyderabad.
Eye donation in the defence services.
By Sandesh Sheth (Ex Major)
Synopsis: There are 10 million
blind people in India out of which about 4 million are corneally
blind. At least 50% of them can gain vision by means of
a corneal transplant. However inspite of a large population
we have not been able to root out the malady. The army with
its vast human resource potential and medical infrastructure
is capable of making a vast contribution. The author and
his Commanding OfficerCol.R.D.Deshmukh while being
posted in BEG & Centre, Roorkee motivated and collected
3000 pledges for eye donation from recruits. The aim was
to collect around 5000 pledges as a hallmark of the Bicentenary
Celebrations that were to be held in 2003. During this mission
they interacted with Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI).
Officials of EBAI interacted and conducted lectures in the
Regimental Centre. The feedback obtained during this drive
from the recruits was unbelievable. Every recruit was of
the opinion that once we are dead the best thing to gift
this world is our eyes.. This article is based on their
experiences and the feedback given by Eye Bank Association
of India (EBAI).
The Indian army with its large human resource pool and excellent
medical setup of hospitals catering to over 10 million serving,
retired and dependant patients can be the solution to uprooting
of this malady. This seemingly impossible job is feasible
because if the army is entrusted a job and given a free
hand it always succeeds.
The role of the defence services:
The army is the backbone of the country. It has always stood
as a rock and provided stability whenever the need has arisen.
The human resource is disciplined, educated and motivated.
They understand the importance and value of eye donation
Vision: To enable the army to
contribute to a very large extent in enabling donation of
eyes given its reach, infrastructure availability and motivated
personnel.
Mission: To create a pool of
motivated and informed volunteers for eye donation and make
the army hospitals as the pivot for cornea collections.
Strategy: The strategy is two
pronged. On one hand it is important to create awareness
about the need and importance of pledging eyes resulting
in a large base of potential eye donors. And on the other
hand creating a facility that can exploit the capability
of the army hospitals. The goal of the strategy is to synergise
the two prongs and make possible the translation of the
pledges into actual corneal donations.
Creation of potential eye donors:
There are two targets in focus. These are the ones who are
already serving in the army and those who will serve in
future. For the existing serving personnel it is necessary
to target the individual units. The best occasion for such
a collection drive is the Unit Raising Day. Nothing can
