PESHAWAR: Ophthalmologists at the teaching hospitals here have urged the government to launch a campaign to advocate cornea donation to control blindness among the people, especially children, through transplantation.
Dr Yasir Murad of the Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology, Hayatabad Medical Complex, told Dawn that the institute had restored the eyesight of 100 people, including 20 children, during the last eight months for which free corneas were sent in by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent in North America due to the efforts of HMC ophthalmology unit head Professor Nasir Saeed in February this year.
“KP has high incidence of blindness due to corneal diseases but fortunately, this type of blindness is treatable through transplanting a cornea from a human donor one can give a new life to the one needing it,” he said.
Dr Yasir called for the involvement of religious scholars and advocacy to encourage people to donate organs to control and prevent blindness.
Experts say KP has high incidence of treatable blindness due to corneal diseases
He said corneal transplants were different from other organ transplants as the donor tissue was taken after the death of a person, who had agreed to donate eyes in his or her lifetime.
According to him, the Murad Eye Bank, established in 2007 in the memory of Professor Murad Ali Khan, one of the pioneers of ophthalmology in the province, has been active for cornea transplantation.
The transplantable stuff has been imported from Sri Lanka, Nepal, USA and other countries on payment. However, the transplant costs around Rs100,000 and thus, being unaffordable for the people.
Currently, the ophthalmology institute replies on the consignments sent in by the Appna but the number of people needing cornea transplants is higher. The people damage cornea by trauma and thus, staying blind for the rest of life.
Dr Yasir said the HMC had got the services of five transplant surgeons, who were ready to carry out more procedures if the government ensured the smooth supply of corneas.
He said US-based urologist Dr Fawad Zaffar was the man behind cornea transplants in the country as he sent in more than 1,300 corneas in the current year.
The ophthalmologist however said the problem could be resolved by local donations.
Dr Yasir, who is the focal person for the Murad Eye Bank, praised HMC medical director Professor Shahzad Akbar Khan for supporting the cause. He said the transplant cost around Rs200,000 in the private sector.
“To ensure the sustainability of corneal transplants, we should rely on our own indigenous resources by encouraging our own people to donate corneas in a large number as the need is higher,” he said.
The ophthalmologist said the religious scholars should be motivated to use their influence people through mosques for organ donation.
He said former KP governor Fazal Haq was the only resident of KP to donate eyes posthumously that were transplanted into a patient.
“The people should follow him,” he said.
Sources in the health department said the MTRA had registered the institutions with desired staff members and infrastructure to make the process transparent but it had yet to begin awareness campaign for organ donation due to a lack of financial support.
They said the authority had planned activities in schools and colleges for the people’s sensitisation to the organ donation but it was awaiting money and staff.
Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2018
