Jordan Eye Bank was established in 1979 as a national institute.
Patients who benefit from Jordan eye bank are those with cornea related disease that cause a poor vision and who cannot be managed with glasses, contact lenses or eye drops.
TARGET
Organize and provide a basic structure for cornea transplantation in Jordan.
Provide Corneas for Patients who need cornea transplantation via local donation or via importation through International Eye Banks.
Collecting and keeping corneas donated by the deceased person or by his relatives.
SOURCES OF CORNEA
1. Cornea of dead people being donated by someone responsible for the patient.
2. Imported corneas from international eye bank suppliers.
Since 1992 a total of 1740 corneas were locally donated including Jordan University Hospital , King Hussein Medical Center , Al-Bashir Hospital , Prince Faisal Hospital , Muoath bin Jabal Hospital and The Islamic Hospital.
Imported Corneas account for 1163 corneas over the period 1992 to 2002.
The number of people who have registered as donors at the Eye Bank is about14050 till the end of 2002.
The number of patients needing corneal transplantation who have registered at the Eye Bank is around 1250 patient.
The number of corneal transplantation surgeries performed since 1972 till 2002 are 2903.
The average success rate of cornea transplantation surgery is about 80% and it depends on the nature of eye disease as well as on the corneal condition at the time of operation.
COST OF CORNEAS
– Donated corneas are free of charge ( excluding other surgical costs)
– Imported corneas cost 1200 JD. ( not covered by insurance)
Evaluation of a cornea is done by an eye doctor to make sure that it would be suitable for transplantation.
Transplant
the cornea is a transparent tissue that represents the first line of encounter between the light and the eye forming the main refracting surface of the eye to bend light rays to fall on the retina.
Any opacity in the cornea would decrease its clarity and impede the passage of light entering the eye resulting in poor vision.
The cornea is the first successfully transplanted solid tissue. The first surgical operation in this regard was performed in 1905.
The cornea is privileged by its site being relatively isolated from the lymphatic and vascular system that would lead to rejection.
Rejection is identification of a transplanted organ as being foreign to the body; fortunately rejection is much less encountered in cornea transplants than other organs.
Cornea transplants, also called cornea grafting, is a surgical operation in which diseased tissue is removed and replaced by a healthy donor corneal tissue.
The surgical process takes about 1-2 hours in experienced hands. It involves removal of a circular area of the cornea (about 10 mm in diameter) with its opacity and patching its place by a circular patch from a donor cornea, which is clear.
The eye is kept patched with an eye pad for 24 hours after surgery and examined the next day.
Vision would be initially blurred and requires few months till improvement is appreciated.
Glasses may be beneficial at this stage to help both eyes to act together.
Follow up for at least one year at the clinic is mandatory when the time becomes right to remove the stitches that held the donor cornea in place .
Removal of stitches is done in the theatre usually under local anesthesia, It takes about 10-15 minutes, many patients experience a further improvement in vision upon removal of the stitches.