Practitioners rally Nigerians to cornea donation to curb blindness

Health experts have appealed to Nigerians to pledge the harvesting of their corneas immediately after death, to tackle corneal blindness among the living.
They made the appeal during a symposium to commemorate the 2024 World Organ Donation Day, with the theme: “Cornea Donation: Giving a Gift that Goes on Living,” in Lagos, organised by Eye Bank for Restoring Sight, Nigeria, at the LASUCOM, Ikeja, Lagos.

President of the Transplant Association of Nigeria (TAN) and a Guest Speaker at the event, Prof. Jacob Awobusiyi, who stressed the need for organ donation, said that millions worldwide suffer from organ failure and require transplants to survive.

Awobusiyi, who is a Nephrologist and a professor of Medicine at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), outlined the types of organs that could be donated, which according to him, include one kidney, a lung, part of the liver, pancreas, or intestine while the deceased donors could contribute kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, pancreas, intestines, and corneas.

The Nephrologist, who spoke on the ethics of removing an organ or part of the body from a living person, highlighted religious, legal, philosophical and ethical points of view. He cited support for organ donation from various religious bodies, including the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

However, he acknowledged challenges posed by certain groups, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, who historically opposed transplantation but now leave the decision to individuals.

Meanwhile, the immediate Past Chairman of the Board of Governors of EBRSN and keynote speaker at the event, Dr Bade Ogundipe, in his address, said what the world relies on now is cornea donation and that no artificial cornea is working now.

He said: “Importantly, we need support from everybody, including the government and religious leaders. They need to lead the advocacy for cornea donation so that their followers will see a reason for them to do so.”

Also, Chairman of the board, Dr Festus Oshoba, encouraged individuals to consider donating a part of their body for transplantation after death, stating the life-saving impact of such a gesture. He said: “The aim of having this symposium today is to create awareness that when you pass on, you can still keep on living.

“You can donate a part of your body when you are alive so that when you are gone, this part can be removed and given to somebody who will use it, and through that person, you can keep living because the person will be using your eyes to see.”