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By your decision to help by agreeing to donate your eyes after death, you will become a partner in this truly great miracle of restoring sight. You will find, as all of our other friends have found, a very deep sense of satisfaction in helping to make possible this great gift. THEY ARE BLIND BUT WE CAN GIVE THEM SIGHT Through our very good fortune, modern surgical science has made it possible for us to bequeath the most precious gift of all -the gift of sight. AN URGENT NEED Eye donations fall far short of the need. We hope you will help restore sight to one of the thousands who are waiting for help. by signing the enclosed card which states that you have donated your eyes and that the nearest eye-bank is to be notified immediately after your death. The reason for the urgency of the card is that eyes should be removed within 3 to 4 hours after death by an ophthalmologist, or by a trained ophthalmic technician in States where permitted. Usually eyes are removed at a hospital with a department of ophthalmology. In certain areas such as New York City. the eye-bank will send a doctor. if necessary. to be sure eyes are removed properly. There is no cost to the donor or his family. The eyes must then be examined and taken to a hospital where the next surgeon on the eye- bank's waiting list has arranged. on the shortest possible notice, to perform the corneal transplant. The whole process must be completed within 48 hours. Probably you will have given sight to two persons. Because of the very narrow time limit for the use of corneas in transplants. you are urged to make your donation to the eye-bank nearest you. If you do not know where it is, please contact your nearest hospital for information. THE CORNEAL GIFT There are a few details you might care to know about the operation of an eye-bank and what can be accomplished by its eye donation program. The operation of corneal grafting involves a piece of clear tissue that covers the front of the eye much as a crystal covers the face of a watch. This piece, about the size of a fingernail, is grafted to the blind person's eye and becomes healthy tissue which permits him to see again. Only those eyes clouded by corneal disease or damage can benefit from a corneal graft. Not all types of blindness can be cured by a corneal transplant. Science has not yet discovered a way to transplant a whole eye. It does not matter in most cases, how old you are, or the cause of death, or is you wear glasses or have defective vision -provided the corneal tissue of your eye is unscarred and healthy. Every eye is needed. If it is not used for sight restoring transplant, it is used for research or medical education. There is no disfigurement when eyes are removed after death. Authorities of all major religions have given full approval to the sight restoration program. Your eye legacy should not be included in your will since wills are usually not read until too late for the eyes to be of use. We are greatly indebted to The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, Inc., New York (the original eye-bank) for their cooperation, advice and permission to use the forms and data originated by them, which they have approved.
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR EYE
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