… Over 200 patients on waiting list for transplants
By Chioma Obinna
The Eye Bank for Restoring Sight in Nigeria has disclosed that about 3.64 million Nigerians, representing about 1.5 per cent of the country’s population, are living with corneal blindness.
The organisation also revealed that more than 200 patients are currently on its waiting list for corneal transplants, highlighting the urgent need for increased corneal donation and public awareness.
Speaking during the formal unveiling of Nollywood veteran actress, Mrs. Joke Silva, as the organisation’s brand ambassador for corneal donation and transplantation, the Chairman, Board of Governors of the Eye Bank, Dr Festus Odunayo Oshoba, said the Eye Bank had facilitated more than 95 successful corneal transplants, including 19 involving children aged between 30 months and 18 years.
He said the organisation was working to develop a national register that would provide reliable data on Nigerians who had undergone corneal transplantation and those who had regained their sight.
“1.5 per cent of the country’s population are currently living with corneal blindness. We have facilitated about a hundred. We are still trying to collate the data to have a national register to know how many have regained their sight and those that have had transplants,” he said.
The Eye Bank chairman said Nigeria needed to move faster in promoting corneal donation, stressing that one person’s decision to donate after death could restore sight to another.
“We need to talk to our people that somebody you know might be a beneficiary of the organ you are donating. We have tarried enough; now we have to run. That we live for one another is the whole essence of humanity,” Oshoba said.
He identified cultural and religious beliefs, as well as misconceptions about organ harvesting, as major barriers to corneal donation in Nigeria.
According to him, the organisation is particularly concerned about situations where religious practices require deceased persons to be buried within a short period, making timely retrieval of donated corneas difficult.
On her part, the Medical Director of the Eye Bank for Restoring Sight Nigeria, Dr. Mosunmade Faderin said corneal donation could give people suffering from corneal blindness an opportunity to regain their sight.
Faderin explained that corneal blindness could result from infections, trauma and other forms of damage to the cornea, adding that a donated cornea could be used to restore sight in eligible patients.
“Why should you donate your cornea? It is very, very essential. If you donate your cornea, that cornea can be used to restore sight to a cornea-blind person,” she said.
The medical director urged Nigerians to view corneal donation as an opportunity to extend their impact beyond death.
“When I pass and I give my cornea, part of me is still living on because somebody else is using it,” Faderin said.
Also, the Vice Chairman of the Eye Bank, Mrs Fola Akande, urged Nigerians to embrace corneal donation, saying beneficiaries should share their experiences to encourage others.
“At death, we are still relevant. It is important to give so that someone else can live. Don’t let your sight die with your passing,” she said.
A beneficiary, Mr Raphael Oguntimi, who regained his sight after a corneal transplant, gave an emotional account of his experience.
Oguntimi said he had suffered severe loss of vision following an eye ulcer and infection and initially believed he would have to travel abroad for treatment.
He said he eventually underwent a corneal transplant in 2022 and began seeing after the procedure.
“Initially, I couldn’t see the food I ate. I couldn’t go to the toilet without assistance. But immediately they did the transplant, I could read and walk without any aid. Nobody assists me in doing anything. I’m grateful to God,” he said.
He expressed appreciation to the Eye Bank for facilitating access to the donated cornea, which was sourced from abroad.
Also speaking, Lion Kunle Ola Shodipo recounted how his family honoured his late brother’s pledge to donate his corneas.
Shodipo said his brother had pledged to donate his corneas before his death in 2010, and the family later consented to the donation.
“The process was less than 15 minutes. It was when I realised that what they removed wasn’t the whole eyeball but the black spot of the eye,” he said.
Shodipo said he remained proud that his brother’s decision had enabled another person to benefit after his death.
Unveiling Silva as the brand ambassador, the Eye Bank said her involvement would strengthen its advocacy and public awareness campaigns on corneal donation.
The Veteran pledged to use her public profile to promote the cause and challenge misconceptions surrounding organ and corneal donation.
“I am going to amplify what has been done. There is going to be continuous advocacy and awareness building,” she said.
The actress said cultural beliefs and misconceptions about the removal of body parts after death had contributed to resistance to organ donation.
She argued that Nigeria, with a population of more than 200 million people, should build the capacity to meet its own need for corneal tissues instead of relying heavily on foreign sources.
“The medical practitioner cannot do it alone. There is the advocacy where people need to get aware. Advocacy is so important that Nigeria does what Nigeria can do for Nigerians,” Silva said.
“We need to stop depending on the rest of the world. We are over 200 million people. Why must we depend on what we can do by ourselves?”
She urged Nigerians to consider corneal donation as a lasting way of helping others after death, stressing that donation does not prevent families from giving their deceased loved ones a dignified burial.
Also speaking, representative of the Chief Medical Director of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof Adetokunbo Fabanwo who is also, Deputy CMAC, Dr Bamidele Ayodele urged Nigerians to support the initiative.
Fabanwo also charged Silva to leverage her reputation and influence to deepen public awareness and encourage more Nigerians to pledge their corneas for donation.
The Eye Bank said it currently operates within the Eye Institute Complex of LASUTH, with accommodation provided by the Lagos State Government.
It said its activities were sustained largely through donations from individuals, corporate organisations and partners, with no government subvention apart from the provision of office accommodation.
The organisation said its long-term goal was to make Nigeria self-sufficient in cornea procurement and transplantation, while reducing dependence on imported tissues.
It also plans to expand donor registration nationwide and establish a Cornea Preservation and Training Centre to strengthen sustainable corneal transplantation services.
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