European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 4, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Testing lot bacteria Jennifer Kim manager of the Cornea lab sinew York s Eye Bank Lor sight restoration inc. New York s Eye Bank needs donors by Jules Loh associated press t mfr 8avtlf cry could propel by l e Ine Tufui an oyo Bui there is Thui Carlr of these crusaders Only mercy they work in a Small quid lab High Nhu a vim Hitlan s Ware and Glare and will Dan to mind gym Elf nit srom so in gaining on Ihnn quest i Obilt of a ctn for All who can have in without delay to re Pru Vicino More Corneas or transplant a sir year vips. Patricia Dahl dramatically men in Roc Henrri Bill Itell Riol enough when i came Here seven years ago Trio wailing period a four months no it s Down to five weeks the pity is Hal i i arc should t have to to any wailing time at at Tho eyes me there. The donors arc Dahl i the lab director Lor new York s Eye Bank for sight restoration. Inc ii is the isl and largest Eye Bank among the More than 100 Ohio Ghoul Tho United states last year it provided 1,400 Corneas Lor transplant All it round obtain but As Oahu Sairaj nol enough the Nony is Hal Iho very Success of eos Cal transplants the nil human tissue transplanted successfully is the Eye Bank s urn Gisl problem the Large Organ transplant. Inc Honier no Vio Noys the lungs Are the ones that gel All Trie publicity arid Kyj tionne Nappi no Tor donors says wary Jane o Noil. He Hank s pm Cliv director conical have to Ommo Placo people air Jim in j a be i Tali. Linn one is needed ih1 of . A Lar from Ltd Sinco it Finif neg two Gener Honfi a provided Corneas a 50.000 transplants and yes. The procedure has become so routine Hal Hal number now equals almost As Many As Are done in am Ica every year on on average Day in America one Harl. 20 kidneys and 65 Corneas Are transplanted Ono Cornea every 22 minutes More Corneas Han All other transplants combined the new York Eye Bank was established in 1944 by a Pioneer eng physician. The late Richard Townley Palov he used eyes donated by consenting convicts on death Row at sing sing prison just up the Hudson River and lost a housekeeper in the process when she opened the Ridge one morning. Saw two eyes in 3 Saucer of liquid and left Paton. Who used four years ago wrote Iho lust textbook published in Iho uni Lud slates on corneal transp Buls. To Rotunno of All Organ transplants Page 16 the stars and stripes App Texo Eye Bank s executive director Mary Jane o Neill. Saturday june 4.19bb Tho Cornea is nol an Organ the Eye is the Organ the Cornea a tissue. At least at this stage doctors see no Way Iho Eye once severed from Iho optic nerve can even to Tho Cornea is the transparent Iron Surl acc of the Eye about Tho size and thickness o a dime. Ii is the window through which Light passes to the Lens and Onlo Iho re Tina Tho brain completes the Job the result vision for it All to work the Cornea must be Crystal Clear it s an Amaan thing Theca Ynoa said Dahl Iho lab director it s the most sensitive Issue in the body which is Why the tiniest q Ain of Sand on in will hurl. Yet it also is very Resi Licul. And the Lack Hal it contains no blood vessels makes in easily passed on. Rejection by Tho recipient is extremely rare. The Success Rale is bolter than 90 percent some recipients who received a transplant when Hoy were Young trom a Middle aged or even elderly donor Are looking through Corneas perhaps 100 years Dahl s education was in biology and chemistry nol Medicine. She got her Job at Iho Eye Bank through a help wanted and and trained on Iho Job she was Carlr find by the Eye Bank association of America Sorl of a National Clearinghouse which sols the standards for technicians her lab is 9 simply furnished room no microscopes or bubbling beakers or any of Iho exotic paraphernalia you might Cipot in a place where medical miracles Are wrought ii cuntairi1 Only a Lable brightly i. Where to Corneas air nil moved and a single instalment called a split Light a of evict like Cine an Eye Doclar uses Lor examinations except pm complicated Dahl s eyes 20-20, Hazel brighten when she explains whal goes on Shore we have Lour people in the lab and Lour in the Field collecting eyes irom donors. As soon As we hear of a donor vue dispatch someone to the Hospital to collect the eyes. We cover 138 hospitals in an 11-Counly area. Unlike other Gans the Eya can be taken six to eight hours after death. It s a simple Job and leaves no
