Did you know compared to organ donation, many more people can become eye and tissue donors? This is because you don’t have to die in a hospital to be considered for eye and tissue donation. Plus, donation can occur up to 24 hours after death.
Tissue includes:
- skin
- parts of the eye, such as the cornea and sclera
- heart valves and other heart tissue
- bones, tendons and ligaments.
Tissue donation saves and transforms lives in many ways. This includes saving burns victims, restoring sight, repairing heart abnormalities in babies and adults, rebuilding tendons and reconstructing bones.
Last year, 2,486 Australians received the gift of sight through a corneal transplant. An additional 9,904 people received tissue transplants. We thank all the living and deceased donors who gave the life-changing gift of donation.
Visit the DonateLife website to read more about how eye and tissue donation works, how it benefits Australians and common myths.