ORKUT Community!

I have created an online community on Eye Donation called 'Gift Your Sight' in ORKUT. Please do join this community thereby supporting this noble cause and spreading the message of the requirement of eye donation...

Pledging Form and Info material

Form - Kannada (PDF) Info - Kannada (PDF) Form - English (PDF) Info - English (PDF) The above info and forms are from Lions International Eye Bank, Bangalore. The filled forms can be submitted to the Eye bank and as an acknowledgement, Donor card will be issued. This card will be having the contact details of the eye bank and your unique Donor number, for any future correspondence.

Dr.Rajkumar's eyes transplanted to TWO visually-challenged individuals...

Further to Late Dr.Rajkumar's eye donation, his eyes has been transplanted to TWO visually-challenged individuals and hopefully these two blessed individuals will be able to se this beautiful world thru the great man's eyes...(This news is according to the latest reports from a TV Channel)

Long live his memories...Long live his eyes...

I truly wish and pray god that this move by the great man, our 'anna', will be an inspiration and a stong message to all the people, across Karnataka and across the globe, to come forward to donate the eyes!

Dr. Rajkumar donates his eyes...

Even though it's very sad that our Dr. Raj passed away, it is great to hear this news about eye donation. Pass this message to all your known folks so that Dr. Raj can be a real example for supporting this noble cause and thereby showing way to lot of other people and giving inspiration to come forward to donate the eyes!! Let his soul RIP. ========================= Eyes donated to 'eye bank' (Source: Deccan Herald, Bangalore) As per his wish, the eyes of Kannada thespian Rajkumar, who died here today, were donated to the "Eye Bank", the actor's personal physician Dr Ramana Rao said. Dr Bhujanga Shetty of Narayana Nethralaya performed the surgery to remove the eyes soon after Rajkumar died, Rao said. It was Rajkumar's wish that his eyes be donated to the eye bank after his death, he said. =========================

Write-up on 'Gift Your Sight' Awareness Campaign

Click here to read a small write-up about the campaign to create Awareness on Eye Donation ('Gift Your Sight' campaign) that i conducted in my company on 22nd Feb 2006.

As i am part of the wonderful Volunteer group called Mukta Foundation, the writeup or as my friend calls it a Perspective is available @ http://www.muktafoundation.org/perspective3.html

If anybody is interested in conducting such campaigns, i am ever ready to provide my full support. Please contact me at: giftyoursight@gmail.com

"Light up the darkness in life. Enable blind to see this beautiful world, thru your eyes! - Pledge & Donate Your Eyes, Gift Your Sight - Make it your WISH!"

Successful conclusion of the Eye Donation and Pledging Campaign - Gift Your Sight!

The Campaign to Create Awareness on Eye Pledging and Eye Donation, conducted in my company campus yesterday (22nd Feb 2006), was a whopping success!! There was good response by the people for this and i thank god for making my first step a success...I thank Lions International Eye Bank for coming down here on my request and conducting this 'Gift Your Sight' campaign. (The pic on the left side is the small counter setup for this campaign, in my company!)

Number wise, we are around 1200+ in our campus here and i got pledges totalling 275+ (from 1145hrs to 1645hrs) from the employees here.

Going forward, i plan to take this campaign to lot more companies, thru the network of my good

friends and spread the message...

First 'Gift Your Sight' Campaign in my company!

On Wednesday, 22nd February 2006, i am taking the responsibility of conducting a Eye Pledging and Eye Donation Information counter, in my company campus premises, with the kind support from Lions International Eye Bank, Bangalore. This will be one-day activity (1030hrs to 1630hrs) where my fellow colleagues can come to the counter and pledge their eyes for donation, get more information on eye donation and in turn motivate their family/friends to support this noble cause.

More updates about this after the campaign.

Pledge and Donate Eyes :: GIFT YOUR SIGHT :: Make it your WISH!

Eyeball in my hand and some astonishing numbers...

On Saturday, i visited the Lions International Eye Bank (Off JC Road) and spoke regarding the upcoming activity of setting up an 'Eye Pledge Counter' in my company premises. Post this talk, they took me to the Lab and showed me the 'Gods greatest gift' to humans....the eyes!!!! Yes, these were the eyes that were gave vision to a person and now, ready to show this world to a blind person! Amazing right...yeah...i saw around 5 eyes kept in the refridgerator and soaked in some preservative, wating to get their new life! They had removed the whole eye (including the White portion called Sclera) and it was kind of a thrill to see the eyes...just the eyes and the cornea. To remove the cornea (this part is the only needed for eye transplantion...to give sight to a corneally-blind person), they have an equipment that does 'Button cutting'! This name can be mapped to the button shaped cornea in the eye, the part that gives vision and shows the world to us... Apart from this, i got some highly pathetic number...the number of corneas collected right from 1992 to 31st Dec 2005....and guess this number for a span of 13 years....its just 11872! This is dismally low and a very pathetic figure, considering the number of deaths in Bangalore. Also, i got to see the number of corneas collected during the month of Jan 2006...for all 31days, they had a collection of 102 only!!!! Bangalore's average death rate is 3500-4000 persons, that translates to around 8000 corneas...and out of that, only 102 eyes donated?? Too disappointing... We need to act upon this and improve this donation numbers so that more and more can get vision and see this world. Please spread the message of eye donation and help blind to get sight.

Procedure for pledging/donating the eyes

I have created a page for getting a quick look and understanding of the procedure for pledging/donating the eyes.

Please click here to know more and act upon it.

"Light up the darkness in life. Enable blind to see this beautiful world, thru your eyes! - Pledge & Donate Your Eyes, Gift Your Sight - Make it your WISH!"

Good Morning Bangalore!

Today morning, i messaged RJ Vasanthi of Radio City about the good enthu response got from some fellow Bangaloreans, in response to my initiative and the segment of Eye Donation (where i was on air, live, with Vasanthi on Monday, 1005hrs to 1040hrs) and a note of thanks for making this happening.

After few minutes, i got a call and guess who was on the other side...yeah..it was RJ Vasanthi again!!! She told that she will put me ON AIR for 2 mins so that i can offer my thanks to Bangalore and also reiterate the cause for which i have started my initiative and the contact details for the same (giftyoursight@gmail.com)

I went on air, wished and thanked all and urged more and more Bangaloreans to get aware of this noble cause and spread the message... "Light up the darkness in life! Enable blind to see this beautiful world thru your Eyes"Pledge & Donate Your Eyes, Gift your Sight :: Make it your WISH!

LIVE, ON AIR, on Radio City 91FM Bangalore

Today Morning i was ON AIR LIVE, in a segment called 'Bangalore Inspires', speaking about my Eye Donation initiative to the always enthu-filled RJ Vasanthi!! It is a great feeling to go on air and express your ideas/views to the people of Bangalore...And u know, i got a good response instantly with lots of SMS flooding, for some queries / for support of this cause! The office of Radio City is pretty small and even small is the Recording room, from where the music is pumped out to the City 24/7!! Vasanthi made me feel very comfortable with the before-hand discussions about the topics that would come on air...so that you will feel at ease while answering them ON AIR! While coming out, at 1100hrs, i met RJ Cindu, who hosts the segment next to RJ Vasanthi's 'Good Morning Bangalore'! RJ Feona was on leave today and RJ Darius and RJ Sunaina Lal were not in the office at that time (i mean they usually come in the late noon for their evening show!) Its awesome and i truly hope and just hope that the Eye Donation awareness increases among all Bangaloreans...:) "Light up the darkness in life! Enable blind to see this beautiful world thru your Eyes"Pledge & Donate Your Eyes, Gift your Sight :: Make it your WISH!

Member of EBAI

Last week I had applied for the membership of the Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI), which is present in Hyderabad and is the parent of all Eye Banks across India. They along with many institutes like LV Prasad Eye Institute and ORBIS International do a lot of programs on this eye donation. Also, EBAI were the people behind the eye donation campaigns by Mr. Amitabh Bhachan, Ms. Aishwarya Rai. Today, I received the membership card of this prestigious institute (Membership No. IND-A-1568) and I seriously hope to make use of it, in this year and make a difference to this society.

Eye donations received - Lions Eye Bank, Bangalore

Eye donations received

Deccan Herald, Bangalore, 06-Jan-2006

Lions International Eye Bank has received eyes from 986 donors, which have been used for corneal grafting. As many as 3,469 men and women have pledged their eyes to the bank. (This is for the whole year 2005)

Contact 22235005, 22121253 or 22121255 for more information.

==============

My view on this:

Is this number enough? Definitely not!

Do we have only 986 deaths in Bangalore, in one whole year, considering the population of Bangalore as 7Million?? Definitely NO...There will be, for sure, many deaths due to natural death or due to Accidents or due to some other cause. According to Bangalore Traffic Police information, in 2005, 831 persons were killed in 791 fatal accidents and 6,031 injured in 6,785 accidents (non fatal). Here, see the number of deaths due to accident...its 831 and this figure is almost competing with the number of donors!

Its definitely time to increase the donor number and this can be acheived thru YOU. YOU should be aware of the eye donation and spread this awareness to all your known friends/family...PLEDGE YOUR EYES NOW and DONATE the eyes of the deceased!

"Light up the darkness in life! Enable blind to see this beautiful world thru your Eyes"

Pledge & Donate Your Eyes, Gift your Sight :: Make it your WISH!

New Webspace about Eye Donation

In my attempt to create a webspace for this Eye Donation initiative, i have created a very simple and plain webspace that contains information mentioned here, in this blog.

The URL of this new webspace is: http://www.freewebs.com/giftyoursight

[The only difference one can find is that, in this blog one has to scroll from bottom to read the information that i want to deliver where as in my new webspace, one can click the hyperlink provided on the Left hand side of the page to know the required information]

Request to make use of either of these to get the information about Eye Donation.

Act upon and Spread the message...

ARISE, AWAKE!

Happy, Prosperous and Colorful New Year 2006!

Wish you and your folks a very Happy, Prosperous and Colorful New Year 2006! Hope you all come forward to try to eliminate the blindness in our country by PLEDGING your eyes / MOTIVATING your family and friends to PLEDGE the eyes and then donate it when the death happens / DONATING the eyes of the deceased in your community! Make it an important item in your Wish list, Act upon it and spread the message... "Light up the darkness in life. Enable blind to see this beautiful world, thru your eyes!" - Pledge & Donate your eyes, Gift your Sight :: Make it your WISH!

4 digit Telephone number to reach Eye Bank

I recently found out that there is a 4 digit Telephone number to reach the Eye Banks across Bangalore. I am not sure how effective or how the working procedure of this number is, but still, please note it down for quick access.

The number is 1053

As per the small information i got, dialing this number will connect to a centralized eye bank desk, where they will ask the area of your residence (the place where the dead body is kept) and then divert your call / assist you in reaching the eye bank that is nearest to your residence so that the doctors belonging to that eye bank can act quickly.

Contact numbers of some Eye Centers in Bangalore

Please find some useful contact numbers of some eye banks in Bangalore (STD code: 080). The source of this is from the BSNL website (http://www.bangaloretelecom.com) Please utilize these numbers so as to make a healthy contribution to the soceity.

1. LIONS INTERNATIONAL EYE BANK/HOSPITAL, Lions Eye Hospital Road (Off J.C. Road), Bangalore - 560 002. Ph # 2223 5005 / 2212 1255
2. NETRA JYOTHI INTERNATIONAL EYE BANK, 56/2, Hs Rd, Bangalore - 560 002. Ph # 2224 3974 / 2224 3974
3. PRABHA EYE CLINIC & RESEARCH CENTRE 504, Cross 40, Block 8, Jayanagar, Bangalore - 560 070. Ph # 2663 7041 / 2634 4141 / 2691 0731
4. NARAYAN EYE FOUNDATION P LTD 121/c, Chord Rd, Block 1r, Rajajinagar, Bangalore - 560010. Ph # 2357 6855 / 2357 2633 / 2290 2927 / 2347 9366 / 2357 7355 / 2337 0122 / 2357 7776 / 2357 8530
5. BG WEST LIONS EYE HOSPITAL 56/2, Eye Hosp Rd, Jc Road, Bangalore - 560002. Ph # 2212 1253 / 2597 0657 / 2212 1255
6. DR AGARWAL'S EYE HOSPITAL LTD 15, Eagle St Tn, Richmond Town, Bangalore - 560025. Ph # 2212 6732 / 2222 1242 / 2229 3040 / 2229 8175 / 2229 8215 / 2224 0200
7. NETHRADHAMA SUPER SPECIALITY EYE HOSPITAL 256/14, Nethradhama, Kp Rd, Block 7, Jayanagar, 560082. Ph # 2663 4202 / 2663 3770
8. HAWKEYE INSTITUTE FOR BETTER VISION 312/17, Cross 27, Main 10, Block 3, Jayanagar, Bangalore - 560011. Ph # 2655 7223
9. SURANA PROJECT DRISHTI EYE INSTITUTE 2, Sirur Park Rd, Seshadripuram, Bangalore - 560020. Ph # 2334 7042 / 2334 7027
10. BHAGWAN MAHAVEER JAIN NETRALAYA 3, Rly Platform Rd, Bangalore - 560020. Ph # 2356 5384
11. VITTALA INTERNATIONAL INST OF OPTHALMOGY, Hosakerehalli, Cross 2, Main 2, Stage 3, Block 7, Banashankari, Bangalore - 560085. Ph # 2672 2213 / 2672 2214 / 2672 2215 / 2672 2219
12. NETRA JYOTHI MOBILE OPTHALMIC HOSPITAL. Ph # 2223 2562

MYTHS associated with Eye donation, in India

Here, you can get to know some MYTHS associated with Eye donation, in India, that may be preventing many people from donating their eyes...

Some people think that if they donate their eyes, it will leave holes in the place where their eyes existed. Wrong. Only the Cornea portion of the eye is removed and hence 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. Wrong. There is no written rule about this and nobody has experienced this! Eye donation is truly a good deed and a good deed always begets good. All religions and their institutions support eye donation and consider it as one of the best donation a person can make. Some people hesitate to pledge their eyes for donation 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. In fact, they should try to motivate their relatives and friends for donating the eyes, by describing the good effects of this donation movement.

Person with eye problem like Cataract or Glaucoma cannot donate their eyes. Also, the person is very old and hence cannot donate his/her eyes.

Wrong. A Person who HAS Cataract or Glaucoma CANNOT donate their eyes, But a person OPERATED for Cataract or Glaucoma can BE considered for eye donation. Also, Age will not come into picture while donating the eyes. As long as the person or his/her family/friends have a good mindset of doing some good to blind, can donate their eyes.

I was reading an article in the Newsletter of EBAI where i found that the eyes of an 105 year old lady of Mysore district was donated (in 2002) and now, her eyes is used by two blind persons to see this beautiful world! How amazing it could be...

Hopefully, in this 21st century, people will not yield to these myths and hence come out and volunteer themselves for donating their eyes, to make this world a 'blind-free' world!!

ARISE, AWAKE!!

FACTS of Eye Donation, in India

In this write-up, one can come across the stunning FACTS of eye donation, particularly in our country, India.

1. There are 12 million+ blind people in India, out of which about 4 million+ are corneally blind. There is a huge backlog of the number of corneal blind people waiting to get their sight.
2. As of today, Eye collection figures stand at around 20000+ eyes per year, from around 200+ eye banks across India. This number itself is not sufficient for the freshly added corneal blind.
3. One startling fact of this is we still import eyes from Sri Lanka, which is 1/4th or even less size than India. Sri Lanka, besides catering to its own requirement, sends the eyeballs to several other countries. Over the last quarter of the century, it has flown over 20000+ eyeballs to 135 centres in the various countries of the world.

Looking at the above facts, dont you think that we should make a difference? If yes, please go and pledge yourself for eye donation or if their is a death in your family / friends circle, motivate the people to donate the eyes of the deceased so that a blind person can see this world thru the donated eyes!

A well worked stategy to increase Eye Donation awareness called HCRP

Hospital Corneal Retrieval Program (HCRP) is a proactive program initiated in some hospitals across the country. In this programme, a specially trained social worker, called Eye Donation Counselor (EDC) [or Grief Counselor] is positioned at a hospital round the clock at the ICUs, Trauma units, Nephrology centers and so on, to build up rapport with the attendants, staffs and doctors. When the death occurs, after the bereaved family has reconciled itself to the tragic reality, the EDC makes a sensitive request for the donation of the eyes. It has been found out by the EBAI (Eye Bank Association of India) that the success rate is good and has been effective.

(Any Myths associated with Eye donation that is preventing people from donating?...Find it out in my next write-up)

Know here about Eye donation and the procedures

In this write-up, you will get to know more about Eye donation and the procedure involved. What is Eye Donation and How is this helpful? “Netram Pradhanam Servendriyanam” (Translation: Eyes are the precious gift given to the humans by the Almighty) - Lord Krishna to Arjuna (Shrimad Bhagwat Geeta, Chapter 15, Shloka 8.1) Eye donation is donating the eyes after a person’s death. Eyes are very valuable part of a human being, which should not be wasted either by burning or burying the body. Donation of the eyes gives sight to TWO Corneally blind persons, enabling them to come out of their dark and dreary life into a life full of colors, a life where they can see and enjoy this beautiful world! “Eyes are a precious gift to a person. But the same eyes bring misery when misused or when they are lost. A wise man utilizes that gift while alive and on death too”. - A famous poet.

Who all can donate their eyes?

Age does not matter while making this precious donation. Person suffering from Diabetics, Hypertension, Systemic disorders like Asthma and Tuberculosis CAN ALSO donate their eyes. Cataract surgery patient can also be a happy donor. Above all, all Religions endorse the practice of eye donations and its one great valuable service a person can do in his/her life.

Who all CANNOT donate their eyes? Eyes will not be collected if death has occured due to the following diseases.

AIDS / Hepatitis B Septicemia / Sepsis: Viral Infection spread thru bloodstream affecting vital organs Leukemia: Disease related to Bone Marrow Rabies: Fatal viral disease, transmitted by the bite of warm-blooded animals like dogs Cancer with Metastasis to Head and Neck: Transmission of pathogenic microorganisms/cancerous cells thru blood vessels. Encephalitis: Inflammation of the brain Hodgkins Lymphoma: Cancerous growth of cells in the Lymph system of the body.

So, i want to donate the eyes but What is the procedure?

Donation can happen in either of these two ways.

1. S/He can walk in to a nearest Eye Bank and PLEDGE their eyes for donation. For this, a pledge form needs to be filled, signed by a witness (can be your relative/friend) and given back to the eye bank. In the time of that person’s death, his/her relative/friend, who was a witness for the pledge form or any other family member/friend who had the knowledge that the person who passed away intended to donate the eyes, should call the nearest eye bank. One important aspect to be noted here that it is not sufficient if a person pledges for donating his/her eyes after the death. His/her relatives and friends should be well informed and be well aware to call the nearest eye bank, for donating the eyes after their death.
2. After death, a relative or a friend of the deceased person can inform the eye bank and tell them that they wish to donate the eyes of their bereaved folk.

Steps to take care for donation of the eyes

• Call the nearest eye bank within SIX HOURS of the death of the person.
• Switch off fans & keep AC on, if you have one.
• Close the eye lids gently and keep a moist cloth over eyes.
• Raise head with a pillow.

Points worth to be noted

1. Persons of any Age/Sex can donate their eyes
2. Persons who have undergone surgery for Cataract, Glaucoma or using Spectacles can also pledge and donate their eyes.
3. Eyes should be donated preferably within SIX hours after the death.
4. Nobody is charged for making eye donation. The only cost to encounter is one local telephone call.
5. Face will NOT get disfigured after eye donation. As per the new procedures, only Cornea portion is removed and hence face disfigurement does not happen.
6. Immediate family members or relatives can donate the eyes of the deceased even if the deceased had not pledged for eye donation during his/her life time.
7. Eyes can be donated to any eye bank in India but preferably to the nearest eye bank to avoid delays.
8. TWO Corneally blind persons can get sight due to a single person's eye donation.

(In the next write-up, i will talk on the Facts and Myths of Eye donation, particularly in our country, India)

Cornea, Corneal Grafting and some related readings

In this write-up, i will be concentrating on the Cornea, Corneal Grafting and some related readings...So, please read on... What is cornea? The cornea is the clear outer layer at the front of the eye. The colored part of the eye (called Iris) and the round opening in it (called Pupil) can be seen through the cornea. The cornea helps to focus and transmit light as it passes to the lens and on to the Retina at the back of the eye. (When light reaches the retina, it is converted into impulses which are transmitted via the Optic nerve to the visual centre in the brain) Why does the cornea get damaged? Some people are born with abnormalities of the cornea. In a condition known as Keratoconus, the cornea develops an abnormal curvature that makes normal vision impossible. Some childhood infections like measles can also cloud the cornea, often causing permanent blindness throughout the person’s life. In later years, infection or traumas to the eye are the main causes for the cornea to become cloudy and this can reduce the vision. In older people, Degenerative diseases, often caused by excessive exposure to harsh sunlight can cause the cornea to become dull and hence loss of vision. How can the eyesight in these patients be restored? Persons who have lost their sight because of corneal damage can hope to regain their sight thru the Corneal Grafting procedure. So, What is Corneal Grafting? This is a procedure to replace the damaged Cornea or part of it, with an healthy Corneal tissue. The new Cornea is obtained from donated Corneas, which undergo thorough testing before being used for transplantation. Who requires corneal grafting? Be an young child or an Adult or an Old person, everybody can be operated on to replace the dull and opacified Cornea with a new cornea, so that they may be able to see and enjoy this beautiful world! From where do hospitals get the Corneas for transplantation? Corneas are removed from the eyes of people who have died, with the consent from the individual or his family. This is collected and kept in the respective eye banks.

Corneas are not taken from donors known to have infectious conditions. All donors are screened for carriers of AIDS or Hepatitis viruses before their corneas are used.

(In the next write-up, i will come to the topic of Eye donation and its related readings)