The Gauteng Cornea and Eye Bank are in short supply of cornea tissue for transplants.
“There are 700 people in Gauteng alone waiting for cornea transplants,” said Sister Caryn Wilson, an Edenvale resident and coordinator of the Gauteng Cornea and Eye Bank.
Nationally, approximately 10 000 individuals need cornea transplants.
Wilson said the lack of available tissue for transplants is a growing concern.
Reasons for a cornea transplant vary from damage inflicted to an eye, infections or hereditary diseases.
She said if an individual damages their cornea and do not undergo a transplant they can become blind.
“A person will first lose their colour vision, they lose their close vision, objects start to distort before the person ultimately goes blind,” said Wilson.
Corneas can be damaged by car accidents, sharp objects, rubbing ones eye when there is an irritation and incorrectly prescribed contact lenses that are not custom made.
“Corneas are vital, they are the window into the eye,” said Wilson.
The cornea is a thin layer which covers the eye.
Its primary function is to protect the eye and allows for focusing.
Wilson added that when a person’s cornea is damaged their life changes forever.
“A lot of daily activities many take for granted cannot be done if your cornea is damaged. These include reading and watching television,” said Wilson.
She said both the life of someone who has a damaged cornea and the lives of their family members are affected.
In order to obtain cornea tissue Wilson said the tissue must be harvested from a body.
She said the tissue must be harvested within 12 hours of an individual’s death.
Cornea tissue can only be harvested from an person between the ages of 10 and 65 years old.
Wilson said when a recipient is chosen for a transplant they are given tissue that is as close to their age as possible.
Wilson urged community members to ensure that they take good care of their eyes and seek treatment for any eye infections.
She encouraged people to learn more and get involved with the donation of corneas.
“Vision can be saved when cornea tissue is donated,” said Wilson.
For more information on how to donate cornea tissue:
- visit www.odf.org.za
- email lynne@gautengcorneaeyebank.co.za or
- phone 011 489 1322.
