1.What is eye donation?
Donating one's eyes after death is eye donation.

2. What is a cornea and how do cornea transplants restore sight?
The cornea is a clear dime-sized tissue that covers the front of the eye. If the cornea becomes clouded through disease or injury, vision is impaired and sometimes lost entirely.
The only substitute for a human cornea is another human cornea donated at death by someone who thus leaves behind a living legacy.

3. What is Corneal Transplantation?
A corneal transplant is the surgical procedure, which replaces a disc-shaped segment of a defective cornea with a similarly shaped piece of a healthy donor cornea. The new cornea is placed into the area where the damaged tissue was removed and then stitched into place.

3. Why should eyes be donated?
Donated human eyes are necessary for the preservation and restoration of sight. More than 92% of Manitobans receiving a corneal transplant each year had their vision successfully restored.

4. Is the whole eye used for transplantation?
No. Only the cornea of the eye is used for transplantation.

5. When are the eyes removed?
Donor eyes must be removed within six to twelve hours after death.

6. Who can donate eyes?
Almost everyone can donate his or her eyes. Donors can be from ages 1 through 75 for transplantation. After age 75, the eyes may still be donated for medical education and research. People who have poor vision and wear glasses, or have had previous eye diseases or surgery can still donate, since these conditions may not affect the cornea. Eyes donated to the Eye Bank that are not medically suitable for transplant may be used for medical research and education.

Potential donors with these diseases or conditions may not become tissue donors. Physicians and trained procurement professionals investigate other diseases or conditions that may affect donation on a case-by-case basis to ensure that no disease is present that might harm a tissue recipient.

19. What kind of research is done with eye donations?
Research into diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma and diseases of the retina are advanced through eye donation.

20. Should eye donation be included in a will?
No. Tissue must be used long before the will can be probated. However, the time of making a will is a good time to discuss eye, tissue and organ donation with close family members.

21. Will the natural eye color change after surgery?
No. The iris (the colored part of the eye) isn't affected by a corneal transplant.

22. What are the preparations the recipients do for Surgery?

• Make arrangements for transportation to and from the hospital.
• Request sick leave from work.
• Find a helper for household chores.
• Do not eat or drink after midnight on the night before surgery.

• Increased redness, especially around the new cornea
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Decrease in vision
• Persistent eye pain

Call your ophthalmologist immediately if you notice any of the above, especially if any one of the symptoms has lasted for more than 6 hours.

• Anyone, regardless of age, may donate the cornea or the entire eye
  
  

• The cornea is not affected by most cancers and the majority are safe for transplant
  
  

• Those who have undergone previous eye surgeries may contribute their eye tissue to benefit long-term research studying eye diseases like glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic eye disorders, and macular degeneration
  
  

• Most patients of diabetes may donate their eye tissue for research, and in some cases, for transplantation
  
  

• All eye tissue is used for one of the following purposes:

  • Corneal transplant to replace a clouded cornea
    
  • The sclera, or white of the eye, is used in eye, ear, and mouth tissue surgeries
    
  • Long-term research in eye diseases benefits nearly 90 percent of all blind people
    
  
  
  

• The majority of religions encourage organ, tissue and eye donation to save or improve the quality of another's life
  
  

• Family members of donors do not receive pay and there are no fees for donating their loved one's organs, tissue or eyes
  
  

• There are no visible signs of eye removal and eye donation does not interfere with funeral arrangements
  
  

• A person may declare his/her desire to donate by indicating that decision on the driver's license or signing a donor card. Either of these methods provides sufficient legal authority to recover organs and tissues. If a desire to donate has not been indicated by one of these methods, then a family member may provide verbal/written consent to confirm the donation.