Become A Donor

A non-governmental organisation, Eye Bank for Restoring Sight, Nigeria has pleaded with Nigerians to donate their corneas, a transparent surface that covers the front part of the eye, after there death. The Medical Director of the organisation, Dr. Mosunmade Faderin said since the eyes are not needed after death, they could be harvested and used to help cornea blind people regain their sight. “Those who suffer from corneal blindness can have their sight restored if they can receive healthy corneas from donors. “As individuals, we can sign written permission for our corneas to be harvested at death, in order to restore the sight of a living blind person,” Faderin noted.

She said globally, 30 per cent of visual impairment is due to corneal blindness, a condition that is reversible through cornea transplantation, otherwise known as keratoplasty.

She said the EBRSN was established to aid the harvesting, processing and distribution of donor eye tissues for sight-saving corneal transplants, medical education and research into causes and treatment of eye diseases and had helped many to regain the use of their eyes. However, she said, the NGO is continually in need of donors, as it currently has about 100 patients on its waiting list including babies and children. She added that most of the tissues that the organization had used were sourced from overseas at exorbitant cost.