Kathmandu, January 26

Nearly 63,000 people have pledged to donate their cornea to Nepal Eye Bank at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology posthumously, while around 11,000 persons have regained their sight after corneal transplant so far.

According to TIO, the concept of the eye bank was supported by the International Federation of Eye and Tissue Banks and complies with the standard set by the international organisation.

Recently, a special memorial service was held at the eye bank to pay tributes to people, who donated their eyes posthumously.

Kin of the donors paid their respects to their dead relatives by offering prayers and holding a vigil.

Cornea transplanted patients also joined the function to share their experience of their journey from darkness to light.

As the only eye bank in Nepal, TIO has been harvesting, processing and preserving corneas with the slogan ‘Eye Donation, Great Donation’ for the past two decades. In the initial years, technicians would take corneas out from the dead in the open at Pashupati Aryaghat.

These days, technicians surgically remove the tissue at the Eye Donation Information Centre and Cornea Excision Centre set up at Bhasmeshwar Ghat with help from the Lions’ Club of Pashupatinath and the Pashupati Area Development Trust.

Once relatives of the deceased give their consent, technicians from the eye bank excise the corneal tissue of the dead.

In the recent times, counsellors of the eye bank have also been raise awareness about cornea donation. TIO said it has resulted in the increase of people pledging to donate organs upon their death.

According to TIO, Nepal has become self-sufficient in corneal transplant. There was a time when corneas used to be brought to Nepal for transplant but now they are collected from within the country.

Corneal tissue is usable for up to four days when kept in appropriate conditions.

Nirmal Lama (a late political leader) and Kedar Man Bethit (a late literary figure) were pioneer eye donors, who inspired others to follow suit.

Corneas might be damaged due to birth defects, injury and haphazard use of orthodoxical treatment.

One of the major causes of blindness in Nepal is the damaged and cloudy cornea that can be replaced surgically with corneal grafting or transplant to restore eyesight.