TAG POST: Light an Eye

I often wonder,

What do you see when I say ‘Green’?!,

I often cry,

When you say that you saw me in your dream,

Dear,

If I could light those eyes with mine..

Like the candle spreading light in the darkness..

Burning… one after other!

I have been tagged by Cyril Paul. To spread this heavenly message in this beautiful world, and to those who are blessed to see its beauty. Initiative for this was taken by the most admired writer Udita, known as UC in iland.

I know Cyril, I’m late.. was not deliberate.

I was away.. in my land.. in my soil.. in the darkness of my room.. under the raining clouds - after a long time.. Couldn’t draw a piece of second.. to spread this heavenly message.. that awakens each of us… That makes us walk ahead of life, crossing the borders of heaven.. That makes us see this beautiful world even after the eternal siesta..

Take it from here.. I tag Jayalakshmi Srinivasan & Dilip Krishnan

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The original blog by Udita starts here:

What a Wonderful World"

-Louis Armstrong

“ I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world”

The soulful rendering of this song evokes vivid images of a vibrant, colourful world. Ever wondered how a sightless person would react to this song? How would he visualize the host of golden Daffodils, fluttering and dancing in the breeze, flash upon that inward eye, which was the  bliss of solitude for Wordsworth?! What a dark, dreary world with everything dyed in monochrome- BLACK !! And yet, those of us who are fortunate enough to be blessed with the miracle of sight, do precious little to restore this gift to our less fortunate brethren, snug in the comfort of our cocooned lives! Here are a few facts about corneal blindness.

FACTSHEET

§       Corneal blindness mostly affects children

§       Corneal blindness can be cured only by corneal grafting from a donated eye

§       One can pledge to donate eyes during one’s lifetime

§       Eyes can be donated only after death

§       If not pledged, eye donation can be done with the consent of relatives

§       People of all age groups can donate eyes

§       In India, there is a requirement of about 1 lakh corneas per year, whereas only 30,000 are donated

§       This shortfall can easily be bridged by spreading awareness about eye donation.

HOW WE CAN HELP

Spread the good word around- most of us are not aware how a little effort on our part can light up someone’s life! In the unfortunate event of death of an acquaintance, try to persuade the family to donate the eyes. This is the toughest part, considering the sensitivity of the situation, but if the family can be convinced that

§       the eyes of the donor will live on after him,

§       giving sight to two persons for a lifetime, and

§       that the procedure of removal is free of cost, simple, hassle-free, & does not cause any disfigurement to the body,

It is quite likely they would agree. So here’s the real test of your persuasive skills! Once you have their consent, here’s what you need to do next.

Call the nearest eye bank immediately. For Delhi, dial 1919 ( 24 hr-MTNL Toll-free service). Telephone numbers of eye banks in other cities are available on the website www.lightaneye.org.

        §       Switch off all fans in the room- cooler or AC, if available, can run.

§       Wrap some ice cubes in damp cotton, & keep them on the eyes. This  prevents the tissue from drying up, & helps keep it fresh.

§       Keep the head slightly raised with a pillow.

§       Doctor/technician from the eye bank will reach the venue within the shortest possible
time, collect about 10 ml blood, and remove the corneas, all in 15minutes.

§       Eyes are fit for retrieval upto 6 hours after death.

Remember, donated corneas are never sold/traded.

The Govt of India is also organizing National Eye Donation Fortnight from August 25 to Sept 8, 2007 to highlight the cause. Friends, where there’s a will, there’s definitely a way. Come, let us all join hands to eliminate the scourge of corneal blindness from the face of our country, and help everyone relish the rainbow hues that you and I take for granted!