INFORMATION PAMPHLET FOR FAMILIES AND PATIENTS

Become a CORNEA DONOR

What is it?

The cornea is the clear part of the eye that allows light to focus within the eye.  Many blinding conditions can be cured by a cornea transplant. When the cornea has an opacity, it cannot transmit light. When the cornea is misshapen, it cannot focus light. In these scenarios we sometimes need to do a transplant.

Why is this important?

There is a huge shortage of donor corneal tissue in South Africa. We have waiting lists in the thousands for this much needed procedure.

What can I do to help?

You, or your family member, can qualify to donate corneas.  It also means that one person can give the gift of sight to two people with a corneal blinding disease and change their lives forever. Corneas are usually harvested from a patient when they themselves no longer need them for sight, or from a living donor in the event of specific and unfortunate trauma to the ocular globe.

Exclusion criteria include:

• Infections: HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis (we will need to confirm these)
• Brain infections
• Eye diseases
• Down’s Syndrome
• Some brain cancers
• Leukemia
• Active disseminated lymphoma

Please inform your doctor/sister/nurse/procurement officer if you want to give someone the gift of sight or register here on our new donor platform. It will not cost you anything, but it could change another person’s life FOREVER.