It goes without saying that organ donation is an important decision and one of the most fulfilling ways of “paying it forward.” Signing the organ donor card is not a pointless endeavor – it really does make a difference for so many lives and so many reasons.
Everyone is aware of the most common types of organ or tissue donations such as kidney, heart, lung, bone marrow and blood. There are other, lesser-known tissue donations such as the cornea. Not many people realize or understand that the cornea (the clear, front layer of the eye) is a much needed, vital tissue. This is especially true in light of the development of new sight-saving eye surgeries.
Cornea donation can save and/or restore the vision of someone who may be going blind as a result of a trauma, severe infection, Keratoconus or Fuch’s Dystrophy to name a few.
Anther way organ donation can save vision is through transplantation of amniotic membrane (the innermost layer of the placenta). This tissue can be grafted onto the eye or used as a dressing to facilitate corneal healing for a number of different problems.
Dr. Jason Edmonds had this to say: “The gift of vision to those suffering from corneal blindness has a profound impact on quality of life. In the US, we are fortunate to have great access to high quality corneal tissue due to the generosity of organ donors.”
If you happen to have any of the above conditions or know someone in need of such services, Milwaukee Eye Care is very lucky to have Dr. Jason Edmonds, a fellowship-trained cornea specialist who performs these sight-restoring procedures.
Written by Bart W., Technician with Milwaukee Eye Care
