Inheriting light and dedicating love: Here’s what you need to know about corneal donation

Corneal donation is a great act of kindness that continues love and light, and it is the best interpretation of the spirit of selfless dedication. Donors use their great love and courage to bring hope and light to the world, allowing more people to feel the beauty and warmth of life. This article will introduce you to the relevant matters about corneal donation.

What is cornea donation?

The cornea is a transparent membrane located at the front of the eyeball. Corneal donation refers to donating corneas after death to help people who have lost their sight due to corneal diseases regain their sight.

The donor must be willing during his or her lifetime or have the consent of his or her family after death, and the principle of respecting voluntary participation must be followed.

Can living people donate corneas?

Tianjin University Aier Eye Hospital kindly reminds you that living people cannot donate their corneas. This is because if you donate your corneas, you will lose your sight and become disabled, which is against moral ethics, so it is not allowed. However, you can fill out a letter of intent to donate your corneas and donate your corneas after death.

What is a corneal transplant?

Corneal transplantation is a surgical treatment method that replaces the patient's diseased cornea with a normal cornea to restore vision or control corneal lesions. It can improve vision or treat certain corneal diseases. The cornea itself does not contain blood vessels, so the chance of rejection after corneal transplantation is higher than the success rate of other tissue and organ transplants.

Can a cornea be transplanted into only one eye?

No, in the past, corneal transplantation involved cutting off the entire layer of diseased corneal tissue, and one cornea could only be provided to one patient. With the continuous advancement of surgical technology, component transplantation is now used as much as possible to replace the cloudy or diseased parts of the cornea in layers. A pair of corneas from a donor can restore the sight of more patients.