Donating Eyes In Karnataka: Organ Donation, Jeevasarthakathe

The article is updated on March 3, 2022

Donating eyes in Karnataka can help correct vision loss in one or more individuals which means you’ll be lighting up the lives of at least two persons.

To help you do that the Karnataka Government has introduced – Jeevasarthakathe. Let’s find out more.

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So, who can be an eye donor in Karnataka? Well, anyone can be an eye donor. It doesn’t matter what your sex, age, or blood group is. Maybe you suffer from long-sightedness or short-sightedness or may you’ve undergone eye surgery. You can still donate your eyes.

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Donating Eyes In Karnataka – When To Do It?

Eyes are donated following the death of the individual. Only people who have corneal blindness can benefit from eyes that are donated. People who suffer from corneal blindness can regain their vision through corneal grafting.

The damaged cornea of the visually impaired person is fixed using the healthy cornea of the donor.

Know more about: Healthcare initiatives by Karnataka Government

Donating Eyes In Karnataka – The Jeevasarthakathe Way

The regulatory body for cadaver organ donations in Karnataka is ‘Jeevasarthakathe.’ Through the official website of Jeevasarthakathe, the state government has made it possible to pledge one’s eyes.

Those of you who wish to donate your eyes can do so by following the simple steps given below.

Log in to the official website of Jeevasarthakathe https://www.jeevasarthakathe.karnataka.gov.in/Website/Home.aspx
You need to fill in the pledge form for eye donation.
Provide all the required details including personal detail, address, etc.
Submit the form
Once your pledge form has been accepted you can download the donor card from the website itself.

The Need For Organ Donors In Karnataka

Ganvi was a nurse at the Nirmala Nursing Home in Shivamogga. She was devoted to serving patients and keeping them comfortable. On the 6^th of February, she lost consciousness while she was still on the night shift. She was rushed to the Nanjappa Hospital within hours.

Realizing the need for more specialized attention, she was moved to the PMSSY Hospital on the same evening. Unfortunately, she was declared brain dead after 5 days on the 12^th of February. But, her service to others did not end here.

Knowing that she would have wanted to keep giving to others, her family volunteered to donate all her organs. Ganvi’s organs were retrieved by the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, Jeevasarthakathe at the Institute of Gastroenterology and Organ Transplant (IGOT). This was incidentally the first organ retrieval at IGOT.

Ganvi’s story will hopefully inspire others to donate their organs after death. India has many people on the waiting list for donor organs that could save their lives. Unfortunately, while a blood and tissue bank can be created, organs cannot be saved in an organ bank. Organs must be transplanted as soon as possible to keep them viable.

In this case, doctors were able to take Ganvi’s heart valves, kidneys, liver and corneas and transplant them to other people in need of them.

Donating Other Organs Through The Jeevasarthakathe Website

Deciding to donate organs is definitely a tough decision for family members to take after a person has been declared brain dead. To save them this heartache, make the decision yourself – register as an organ donor so your family knows your wishes. Your life can save so many. The organs that can be donated include:

Liver
Pancreas
Kidneys
Lungs
Heart
Heart valves
Bone marrow
Bones
Nerves
Blood vessels
Skin
Middle ear
Corneas
Connective tissue

In Karnataka, organ donors must register themselves with the Jeevasarthakathe Transplant authority of Karnataka. You can choose to donate a select few or all the organs that can be harvested. Any healthy person can register to be an organ donor. Children too can register to be donors but they must have their parent’s consent.

Organ Donation In Karnataka – How To Get More Information?

In case you wish to know more about organ donations you need to contact the ASHA workers at the Primary Health Center (PHC) closest to your place of residence in Karnataka.

You can also get the required information by dialing 104. This is the Arogyavani helpline number. What are you waiting for? Let’s bring light to someone’s life today by donating eyes in Karnataka.

It isn’t just during a lifetime that one can do good for others but even after we’ve crossed into the afterlife. A 22-year old nurse, T.K. Ganvi is proof of this.

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