Women's
Auxiliary hosts talk on cornea donations
To launch its new season, the Women's Auxiliary hosted a presentation
on cornea donations by Dr. Randa Haddad, director of the AUB International
Eye Bank. Held in West Hall's Auditorium B on November 2, the talk
focused on the basics of organ donation, particularly what is known
as "eye donation." The earliest cornea donation in Lebanon
was in 1960, although kidney donations are the most common. Dr. Haddad
went on to talk about the rules of "sharing our gift of sight."
Unlike kidney donations, corneas may only be donated after the donor
has died. In Lebanon, 200 corneas are needed per year, and this number
is procured through local donations and from international eye banks.
In 1992, the first professional "eye bank" was set up in
Lebanon and became the only local member of the International Federation
of eye banks. Since then, over 250 cornea grafts have been performed
in Lebanon.
A professor at the AUB Faculty of Medicine, Haddad pointed out that,
unlike other organ donations, corneas are much easier to handle. First
of all, corneas can be preserved for 14 days in a special solution
at 4 degrees Celsius; other organs last only a few hours after the
donor's death and need to be implanted instantly. Secondly, a cornea
does not have many limitations. "A cornea from a right eye can
be grafted in a left eye; a man can donate to a woman; the blood type
of the donor need not match that of the recipient," said Dr.
Haddad. Cornea donors may be as young as six months in age or as old
as 75, or in some cases even 80 years old.
The Women's Auxiliary was established in 1950 to provide support to
the AUB Medical Center by raising funds for needy patients, as well
as by helping fund equipment and supplies. Its members are known as
the "Ladies in Pink," because of the pink uniforms worn
by the women who volunteer at the hospital. |
