World Sight Day takes place on the second Thursday of October and this year (2024) the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) is proud to announce the launch of an eye retrieval service in partnership with the National Health Service Blood and Transplant Services (NHSBT).
The NCA has been supporting the donation of corneas for many years, with the new service increasing the options for eye donations. This is a fantastic opportunity allowing us to give the gift of sight to individuals with life changing benefits.
Most people are aware that hundreds of lives are saved every year by donated organs, such as hearts and kidneys. They may not realise that donated eyes can dramatically improve the quality of life for others.
Almost anyone can be considered as an eye donor once they have passed away, however, there are some exemptions. To ensure that all donations are safe, the donor’s medical and lifestyle history is assessed, similar to blood donors, to protect the person receiving the cornea from infection.
Every year in the UK, the miracle of corneal transplantation helps to restore the sight of more than 3,500 blind and partially sighted people.