FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

An Eye Bank obtains; medically evaluates and distributes eye tissue or corneas donated by caring individuals for use in corneal transplantation, research, and education. Eye Banks are Non-profit Organizations. The eye banking processes are as follows:

1.    PROCUREMENT
    • Donor Identification
    • Medical history
    • Physical Assessment
    • Corneal excision or eye retrieval
2.    PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION

Utilize preservative media to ensure viability of the cornea. Trained technicians and ophthalmologists evaluate      tissue to ensure quality.

3.    TISSUE EVALUATION

All tissue undergo cell counting.

4.    SEROLOGY

Assures the safety of the tissues Blood specimens are tested for HIV, HBsAg, HCV and Syphillis.

5.    DISTRIBUTION

Due to the severe scarcity of transplantable corneas and eye tissues, Eye Bank imposes a ‘first come, first served’          distribution basis.

Should you decide to pledge your eyes for donation after death, it is best to coordinate with a qualified institution or organization like the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines in order to make sure that the deceased will be taken care of in retrieving the eye tissue and to assure that the retrieved tissues are not wasted , worse, sold in the black market for profit.

NO. It is illegal to buy or sell human tissues and organs. The fees that the patient pays in order for them to get a tissue is not for the tissue itself but for the cost of processing it such as preservation solution, travel containers, sanitation equipments, etc.,

Donation frequently comforts a grieving family. Making a gift of renewed life can honor the donor and bring solace to the survivors. It also gives them a feeling that the death of a relative is not wasted and that the deceased is alive through another person.

Donation frequently comforts a grieving family. Making a gift of renewed life can honor the donor and bring solace to the survivors. It also gives them a feeling that the death of a relative is not wasted and that the deceased is alive through another person.

Just fill out a pledge form card. Sign your name in front of 2 witnesses preferably your next-of-kin. Have them sign the card too. Fill in your date of birth and other necessary information.

Carry the card with you and placed it in your wallet. This will increase the chances that your cornea and eye tissue will be used to help others when you die.
Discuss your decision with your family. Tell your family you want to be an eye donor. Next-of-kin consent is required for donation, so it is helpful if your family knows ahead of time how you feel about it.

Encourage others to become donors. You can provide the necessary information about cornea/eye tissue donation or you can also contact the Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines for further information at telephone numbers (02) 302-62-82/87 or mobile no. 0917-8935995


Facts about Cornea and Eye Tissue Donation

Corneal blindness is a disorder that results from the cornea becoming clouded, making a person blind. This condition can result to a variety of diseases, injury or infection.

The cornea is the clear tissue covering the front of the eye. It is the main focusing element of the eye. Vision will dramatically reduce if the cornea becomes cloudy from disease, injury or infection.

Disorders of the cornea may involve abnormal shape, swelling, scarring or injuries. Treatment for these disorders may involve a graft, or transplantation of new tissues to the cornea. In some cases, the original cornea is completely replaced by a donor cornea.

This is a surgical procedure which replaces a disc-shaped segment of an impaired cornea with a similar shaped piece of a healthy donor cornea.

Cornea or eye donation is the giving of cornea and eye tissue after death to help save or restore sight of a corneally blind individual. This is similar to other organ donation practices.

Nearly everyone can donate their corneas: young, old, with or without eyeglasses. Even the blind can donate their eyes or corneas as long as the blindness isn’t due to cornea-related disease or injury.