Kingdom witnesses rise in cornea donation — Jordan Eye Bank

AMMAN — The number of cornea donations has increased in the Kingdom during the past two weeks, Jordan Eye Bank Director Muawyah Al Bdour said on Wednesday.

“Jordan has witnessed an increase in the number of cornea donors since mid-July after almost ‘total disruption’ to donations since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic,” Bdour told The Jordan Times in a phone interview.

He added that in the period from mid-July until Wednesday, July 29, the bank has had nine cornea donors, which resulted in the donation of 18 corneas, in addition to a case of complete organ donation.

The parents of Ali, a 13-year-old boy who fell off a ride and died in an amusement park, donated his corneas to help others, Secretary of the Friends of the Jordan Eye Bank Society Ahmad Shaker said on Sunday.

Social media users also expressed admiration towards the parents’ “fortitude” and their choice of donating the corneas.

Jordan has witnessed only two cornea donors during the period from the middle of March until the middle of this July, which resulted in the donation of four corneas, the eye bank director said.

“This is due to the strict measures imposed by the government in light of the pandemic crisis,” according to Bdour.

He noted that the increase in the number of donors was registered in Amman and other governorates, attributing this to the “role of the media in spreading the culture of organ donation among Jordanians”.

The director of the eye bank considered that Jordanians “need to be reminded from time to time about the culture of organ donation”.

He added: “There is a long waiting list which exceeds 1,000 patients in Jordan, who are in dire need of corneal graft’’.

Bdour stressed that the bank has the ability to carry out corneal resection from the deceased donors “without causing any distortion to their bodies.”

“This is a chance to create ongoing charity for the deceased. Both the bank and the family of the deceased must not lose this chance to help a person whose dream is to see properly again,” he concluded.