Dr Manpreet Global Eye Hospital Patiala

If you’ve ever played Blind Man’s Buff you know how helpless it can feel to be unable to see. While some people are born blind, others lose sight as a result of health issues, accidents etc. Imagine how a person would feel to be able to see something for the first time or to regain their sight?

Every human being with sight can choose to donate their eyes after their death and gift another person vision. When it comes to eye donation, there is no restriction on the person’s age or overall health. Even a person who has had surgery on their eyes can choose to donate them as long as the cornea is unaffected. It is not only noble but the thought of being able to give some a chance to see the world with your eyes can give you immense joy.

However, just a thought is not enough, there are few other facts to be kept in mind before going for eye donation:

1. Eyes need to be donated within 6 hours of a person’s death: For your eyes to be viable for a donation they must be harvested within 6 hours of death. Thus, if you choose to be a donor, it is important for you to inform your family and friends of this decision. Eye donation can also be authorized by the deceased’s next of kin.
2. Donation does not cost money: There are no costs involved in donating your eyes. Profiting by buying and selling human organs and tissues is a criminal at and can be punishable by law.
3. The whole eye is not transplanted: The most common cause of blindness is a damaged or diseased cornea. Thus, only this area is transplanted to enable a person to see. The cornea is a thin, transparent flap located in front of the colored part of the eye. Thus, donating eyes does not disfigure the deceased person in any way.
4. Even people who wear spectacles can donate their eyes: Short sightedness or far sightedness are conditions caused by irregularities with the lens inside the eye and do not affect the cornea. Thus these conditions do not interfere with their ability to donate their eyes after death. Even people who have been operated upon for cataracts, retinal detachments or glaucoma may choose to donate their eyes. It is even possible for a person who has received a corneal transplant to donate their eyes as long as the cornea is healthy and clear.
5. Corneal Transplants have a high success rate: There is no blood supply to the cornea and hence there is a very low risk of the body rejecting a donor cornea. In many cases, this rejection can be treated and suppressed with medication.

Though over 30,000 corneas are donated and transplanted each year, there is still a long waiting list at eye banks. Thus, it time you take a pledge to make someone else's life beautiful. Do not think twice about donating your eyes and encourage people around you to do so as well.

Are you losing your sight day by day? Does it make difficult to see you at night? Is this the onset of Blindness? Get to know about Retinitis Pigmentosa with these tips.

What actually is Retinitis Pigmentosa?
Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) refers to a group of diseases, which causes a slow, but progressive vision loss. It is a genetic disorder that affects the ability to respond to light.This inherited disease causes a slow loss of vision, beginning with decreased night vision and loss of peripheral (side) vision and eventually results in blindness.

Causes: Retinitis pigmentosa is often hereditary (runs in families). If you or your partner has retinitis pigmentosa, there may be up to a 50 percent chance that you will pass it on to your children. Ask your ophthalmologist about genetic counseling if you are planning to have children.

Symptoms: 

1. Slow loss of vision
2. Beginning of decreased night vision
3. Loss of peripheral vision
4. Difficulty in identifying colours

Diagnosis: If you have poor night vision or a loss of side vision or if there is a history of retinitis pigmentosa in your family, your ophthalmologist will conduct a comprehensive eye exam to determine if you have retinitis pigmentosa. Your ophthalmologist will dilate your eyes to look at the back of them for signs of disease.

Treatment: Currently there is no known cure for retinitis pigmentosa. However, research has shown that vitamin A palmitate may slow the progression of certain forms of RP. Your ophthalmologist can advise you about the risks and benefits of vitamin A palmitate and how much you can safely take. Taking too much vitamin A palmitate can be toxic, and evidence of vitamin A palmitate effect on RP progression is not substantial.
Another recommendation for slowing vision loss from RP is to wear sunglasses to protect your retina from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light.

Retinal prosthesis is also an important area of exploration because the prosthesis, a man-made device intended to replace a damaged body part, can be designed to take over the function of the lost photoreceptors by electrically stimulating the remaining healthy cells of the retina.

A cataract surgery is performed to remove the lens of the eye and replace it with an artificial one. The surgery is undertaken to cure cataract, which makes the lens of the eyes cloudy, making it difficult to see. The surgery is not considered to be a major one and is performed on an outpatient basis, meaning that the patient can go home the very same day without having to spend the night at the hospital. The procedure is very normal and is undertaken when cataract starts to affect the day-to-day life of the patient.

Know the risks involved
Complications after a cataract surgery are rare but not unheard of. The surgery in itself is a simple one but there is a risk of complications if the patient is suffering from another eye disease or is suffering from an underlying health condition. As a precaution, always get yourself tested for other eye diseases before deciding to go for the surgery. Some of the other risks involved include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Swelling
• Retinal Detachment
• Vision loss

What to do before cataract surgery?
Before the surgery takes place, your ophthalmologist will ask you to do certain preparations so that the surgery goes as planned. Make sure that you follow his/her advice diligently for a successful surgery and recovery. Some of these things include:

1. Undergo certain tests - Before cataract surgery, the doctor will ask you to take certain tests to including an ultrasound of the eye to measure its shape and size. This information will help the doctor to select the right lens for you.
2. Avoid certain medicines - Your doctor might also ask you to stop taking certain medicines a couple of days before the surgery. Medicines that might cause bleeding during surgery are avoided.
3. No eating before surgery - The doctor might instruct you to not eat or drink fluids at least 12 hours before the surgery.
4. Eye drops - You are also asked to apply eye drops in order to reduce the risk of infection to the eye after the surgery.
    

Cataract is developed when protein builds up in the lens of your eye and makes it cloudy. This keeps light from passing through clearly. Things that can raise your chances of getting cataracts include cigarette smoke, air pollution, and heavy drinking.