Over 1 million donors in 50 years but only 12,000 patients have actually received donated eyes

 

 

More than one million people have expressed their willingness to donate their eyes to the Eye Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society in the past 50 years, but only about 12,000 patients have actually received the donated eyes for transplants because 90 percent of the donors are still alive.

 

Ms Supaporn Boonyoungyuen, deputy director of the Eye Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society, said Friday that the Eye Centre could not collect eyes from donors who are still alive despite their willingness to donate their eyes and, hence, the problem of not enough eyes to meet the need of patients who need eye transplants.

 

She disclosed that about 1,200 people have registered with the Eye Centre for donated eyes each year, but only about 800 of them actually received eyes from the donors, adding that the number of donated eyes increased to 1,000 last year.

 

Full Story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/1-million-donors-50-years-12000-patients-actually-received-donated-eyes/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-6-8

It is impossible to transplant an eye.  They are used for parts I presume

 

39 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

It is impossible to transplant an eye.  They are used for parts I presume

 

You are correct. Corneal transplant is often (mistakenly) referred to as an eye transplant.

There are not a million donors, there are a million donors registered and 12.000 have given up their eyes. Strange actually if they say 90% and that of a million it should mean 10% = 100.000 have given.. then the 12.000 is a bit low.

 

I would consider a donor a donor once the donation has happened not when registered. That is my POV anyway.

" Ms Supaporn Boonyoungyuen, deputy director of the Eye Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society, said Friday that the Eye Centre could not collect eyes from donors who are still alive despite their willingness to donate their eyes..."

 

What the heck is up with this? People are willing to donate their eyes while they are still perfectly usable? I cannot understand that at all.

Edited June 9, 20188 yr by Cereal
Removed unsuitable acronym

4 minutes ago, Cereal said:

" Ms Supaporn Boonyoungyuen, deputy director of the Eye Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society, said Friday that the Eye Centre could not collect eyes from donors who are still alive despite their willingness to donate their eyes..."

 

What the heck is up with this? People are willing to donate their eyes while they are still perfectly usable? I cannot understand that at all.

Its just a registration for that you fill in while your healthy that in event of your demise they can take certain parts of your body. Its quite normal in my country to do so. But those are registered donors not actual donors. 

 

Its best to write things down before.. because once you have an accident or die you can't give consent anymore. 

1 minute ago, robblok said:

Its just a registration for that you fill in while your healthy that in event of your demise they can take certain parts of your body. Its quite normal in my country to do so. But those are registered donors not actual donors. 

 

Its best to write things down before.. because once you have an accident or die you can't give consent anymore. 

I know this. It's a typical organ donation card. In Canada they come attached to a driver's license, or at least they used to. However, that is not what the story said. It could simply be poor writing skills, that wouldn't be a first.

Wait, they're complaining that people who are still alive don't want to give away their eyes yet?  I'm a registered donor, you can have any part of me that you want, but you're going to have to wait until I'm dead!

7 minutes ago, Cereal said:

I know this. It's a typical organ donation card. In Canada they come attached to a driver's license, or at least they used to. However, that is not what the story said. It could simply be poor writing skills, that wouldn't be a first.

Lets put it down to poor writing skills, and that they confuse registered donors with actual donors. One would never donate his or her eyes when alive of course. Its probably just poor writing skills. 

1 hour ago, Cereal said:

" Ms Supaporn Boonyoungyuen, deputy director of the Eye Centre of the Thai Red Cross Society, said Friday that the Eye Centre could not collect eyes from donors who are still alive despite their willingness to donate their eyes..."

 

What the heck is up with this? People are willing to donate their eyes while they are still perfectly usable? I cannot understand that at all.

I the same league as donating a perfectly good kidney/liver while you're still alive...

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Over 1 million donors in 50 years but only 12,000 patients have actually received donated eyes

Thais are thinking the eyes are for make somtam..

I think maybe the  spokesperson  was  being  tongue in cheek  about being unable to use eyes from signed up donors.

A million  people  may have  signed up as  potential donors mostly via  drivers  licence but  sadly often for those  deceased family ignore the  request and cremate regardless. As said the  majority  of  potential donors  are still alive.

Of those cornea  that do  get taken there is a screening  process for  HIV, Hepatitis, and clarity that  eliminates  quite a percentage. Which is why there  is a years long waiting list for elective corneal transplants with the exception of  emergency operations such as due to  trauma from accidents. 

 

There's more to this than meets the eye.

My wife needs a cornea transplant.....but it will be done in the US shortly...it's quite difficult here