Turkish Society of Ophthalmology Cornea and Ocular Surface Unit President Prof. Dr. Ayşe Burcu made important statements regarding corneal transplantation before and after the pandemic at the 56th National Ophthalmology Congress held in Antalya. Inviting citizens to donate organs during the Organ and Tissue Donation Week celebrated on November 3-9, 2022 in Turkey, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Burcu said, “Corneal donation has gained momentum in Turkey with the decrease of the effects of the pandemic. The list of patients waiting for a corneal transplant has dwindled rapidly. There is an increase in the number of patients coming from abroad to our country for corneal transplantation.
The 56th National Congress of the Turkish Ophthalmology Association, which represents Turkish ophthalmologists, will be held in Antalya between 2-6 November 2022 with the contributions of the Diyarbakir Branch of the Turkish Ophthalmology Association. The congress, which is the most comprehensive and important event in the field of eye diseases and eye health in our country, is attended by approximately 500 eye specialists from Turkey and abroad, 681 local and 29 foreign speakers, as well as 78 companies and 350 company representatives.
Turkish Society of Ophthalmology Cornea and Ocular Surface Unit President Prof. Dr. Ayşe Burcu said that the number of people waiting for cornea transplants has decreased.
Burcu said that the number of patients waiting for corneal transplantation in Turkey increased during the pandemic period, but with the decrease of the effects of the pandemic, there was a rapid decrease in the number of patients waiting for corneal transplantation with the coordinated work of both the Ministry of Health and Turkish ophthalmologists. Noting that corneal disease ranks third among the diseases that cause vision loss, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Burcu said: “Corneal transplant is not an eye transplant surgery, it is just a corneal layer replacement on the front surface of the eye. The healthy corneal layer of the appropriate organ donors who lost their lives is removed and corneal transplantation is performed to the patients.
prof. Dr. Ayşe Burcu emphasized that foreigners especially chose Turkey and made the following statement:
“With the system established by the Ministry of Health, suitable corneas from the deceased are determined by eye banks or tissue resource centers affiliated with banks, taken under sterile conditions and transferred to patients awaiting corneal transplantation by surgery. Due to the limited tissue supply all over the world, there are many patients waiting for corneal transplantation. In our country, the waiting lists for corneal transplants were quite high in the past years. Today, ophthalmologists in Turkey have gained advanced experience in corneal transplantation and corneal transplantation operations are performed at world standards. Even patients who are waiting for a cornea transplant abroad prefer to come to Turkey for surgery.”
prof. Dr. Ayşe Burcu, inviting our people to be sensitive about organ donation due to Organ and Tissue Donation Week, said, “It is a light for our patients who do not see the transplant of the unused corneal layer into another patient's eye. Organ transplantation saves lives, corneal transplantation saves eyes, seeing is very valuable for all of us.” she said.
prof. Dr. Ayşe Burcu stated that there were no cases of Covid-19 during the transplant.
Adding that it is not known exactly whether the disease was transmitted by corneal transplantation during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that corneas were not taken from contact or suspected deaths, Ayşe Burcu continued: “Patients also preferred to postpone their transplant surgeries at that time to protect themselves from Covid-19. Waiting lists had increased again due to the decrease in corneal supply and the delay of patients' surgeries. With the public awareness studies, statistical and feedback studies carried out by the Ministry of Health and the Turkish Ophthalmology Association, and the devoted efforts of Turkish ophthalmologists, the waiting lists were quickly dissolved again in a short time. So far, there has been no case of Covid-19 transmitted by corneal transplantation. With the rapid control of the pandemic, corneal transplant surgeries started to increase rapidly again.”
Be the first to comment