By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD

The phrase, ‘From Darkness to Light’ is a very powerful universal metaphor that symbolises the transition from ignorance, despair or sin, into knowledge, hope and truth.

It is not just some unknown wise old soul who said it, but it is a concept that has its origins here in India, having been captured and enshrined in an ancient Sanskrit prayer from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad which says “Tamasoma jyotir gamaya” which translates to “Lead me from                                        darkness to light.”

When we ponder over all the things it can mean to us, we realise that to be aware of where we are, what we are doing, what we are feeling, what we are seeing and where we are headed, matter a lot to a purposeful and useful existence on this earth, during our very short lifespans.

Yes, when you consider the lifespans of so many other living beings, especially the trees around us, our own lifespans can be compared to just the blinking of an eye. And, while talking of eyes and sight and how important they are to our existence, there can be no two opinions that vision and the ability to see, is one of the most essential of the five senses, that human beings are gifted with.

Take this away and we would be groping around helplessly, in an inky black ocean of darkness. That is exactly the sad plight of every one of those very unfortunate human beings, who are born blind, or who lose their sight for whatever reasons, as they go along in life.

Although there is nothing yet that medical science can do for those who are born completely blind, as some unfortunate ones are, it has shown us, especially over the last century, that much can be done to mitigate to a very large extent, the helplessness of those who lose their sight, either due to the development of cataracts or corneal blindness.

A cataract is a situation where the transparent lens inside the eye becomes opaque while corneal blindness is a situation where the clear central portion in front of the lens becomes opaque, with both these defects preventing the transmission of light into the innards of the eye, that becomes the faculty of vision for all of us. While almost all kinds of cataracts can be treated very effectively, with artificial lenses being inserted into the eye, corneal blindness can be treated on a large scale, only if healthy human corneas are available to replace the defective ones.

Although artificial corneas have now arrived on the scene, their routine use has been slowed down by many limitations that are yet to be overcome. So, as things stand now, at the threshold at which medical science stands today, there is just no other way to procure a cornea easily, except through eye donation. This can happen only if the kith and kin of people who die, come forward to donate their eyes very soon after their death.

That is why, it is important for all of us to pledge to donate our eyes after our death, while we are still alive and are able to make our wish known to our immediate family members, who can then donate them, after we are gone. There are rules and recommended procedures in place in all countries, to do this and ensure that the eyes are harvested, if the family members of the deceased call up the nearest eye bank within six to eight hours after death.

For every single person who donates his or her eyes, two blind persons and sometimes, even up to four people with corneal blindness, will get back their sight and the ability to see how beautiful the world around them is. This is possible when a special procedure called lamellar keratoplasty is done, where a single cornea is split into two layers and used for two different people.

Considering what a huge handicap the loss of vision can be, nothing can be a better gift to an otherwise healthy person than his or her ability to see. It can instantly transform a physically challenged individual into someone who can lead a completely normal and productive life, which can in turn transform the quality of life for the entire family.

This is exactly why we need to popularise eye donation and establish eye banks across our country, where very sadly, there is still a very steep difference between the demand and supply of corneas, for grafting.

Thankfully, today, many hospitals, institutions, NGOs and service organisations like the Rotary and Lions, are very actively involved in not only popularising eye donation but have also established eye banks that are being run very efficiently.

Here in Mysuru too, over the recent years, all private hospitals, small and big are involved in this activity, while the eye bank at the Government-run K.R. Hospital, that comes under the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI) has been quietly serving the community in this field, for more than twenty-five long years. It functions round the clock, all the 365 days of the year and it responds to every eye donation call received from in and around the city, with a trained team reaching the home or hospital where the deceased is kept, to perform the eye retrieval, completely free of cost.

This programme that has been procuring close to about two hundred eyes every year, is manned by a team of very capable personnel, who are constantly and tirelessly involved in the activity of educating, counselling and reassuring the public, to erase the many misconceptions and myths surrounding eye donation.

Yes, there are many of these hurdles, that still stand in the way of eye donation preventing it from becoming not only common but an eagerly offered gift, to all those helplessly groping in the dark and who are in need of some light  in their lives.

People need to be told that donating eyes does not in any way disfigure the face of the deceased or delay the funeral arrangements, as it hardly takes a few minutes to be done. Even from very close quarters, no one can make out that a deceased person’s eyes have been donated, unless the family members themselves proudly tell them about the donation.

Public awareness about eye donation received a tremendous boost in our State, after the legendary actor Dr. Rajakumar and his family became ambassadors for the cause. Notably, the eye donation by the popular actor Puneeth Rajakumar, who very sadly, died very young, further inspired thousands of his fans and other young people to pledge their eyes, creating a remarkable surge in public awareness and interest.

Since there are still thousands of people who are in need of corneal transplants but are not able to get them, let us all hope that the days will not be very far off, when the availability of donated eyes begins to meet the demand for them. I’m sure that with every one of us coming together and joining hands to spread awareness about how eye donation can transform lives, we will all be able to achieve this goal.

That is when we will be able to say with a sense of satisfaction and happiness, that we have led every single person with corneal blindness, from Darkness to Light!

[With kind inputs from Dr. Shubhratha S. Hegde, In-Charge Eye Bank Officer, K.R. Hospital, Mysuru]

The K.R. Hospital Eye Bank can be contacted on Mob: 94812-77909 or 80733-75034

e-mail: [email protected]