The Eyes: Being an Organ Donor

Corneal Transplants Restore Sight.Margaret Soper (not her real name) sat anxiously in the ophthalmologist’s office surrounded by her excited family. She had been nearly blind for several years due to corneal disease. (The cornea is the clear covering over the front of the eye.) But yesterday her doctor had performed a corneal transplant surgery on her right eye. The eye had been patched over night, but now it was time to remove it. Would she be able to see? Everyone held their breath as the covering was removed.“I can see!” she cried. Things were somewhat blurry, but she was no longer blind. “When can I have the other eye done?” she asked. “I’m ready to get back to my life!”Margaret is getting her life back because someone gave her the gift of sight by being an organ donor. We are more familiar with heart and lung transplants because of their spectacular nature. But corneal transplants, using donated eye tissues, are being done every day.The sad thing is, there are many Margarets who continue to endure blindness because they are on a waiting list, hoping for compatible tissue to be donated soon. Tell your family that you want to be an eye donor. There is no charge to the family, and the tissue can be donated even if you’ve had eye surgery.Someone, somewhere, is hoping for the gift of sight. What a wonderful legacy!