A THORNBURY woman who receives eye drops made from blood to treat a severe condition has thanked two of the donors who help her to see properly.
Carolyn Frost, aged 75, can’t produce her own tears due to the condition, known as dry eye.
She said: “Severe dry eye is a horrible thing to have.
“I can feel it burning hot sometimes. My eyes get hot, red and uncomfortable. There’s a scratchy feeling and my vision is quite blurred.
“It becomes painful to use your eyes. It’s quite disabling. I really struggle to see.
“It’s amazing they can use blood to make eye drops.”
Carolyn, who has three children and seven grandchildren, has had the condition since childhood, and started on the blood-based eye drops around a year ago.
The process of creating them starts with blood donors giving blood as normal, which is then allowed to clot.
After 48 hours, the clot is removed, and serum is separated and diluted to make eye drops.
After quality checks are completed, the drops are sent directly to the patients and must be stored in the freezer.
Each donation normally provides enough serum eye drops to last three to four months.
Carolyn thanked blood donors Martin Wilson, of Bristol, and Martin Darwin, from Warrington, when she met them at the Bristol Blood Donor Centre at Southmead Hospital.
Fascinating process
She said: “It’s been amazing and fascinating to learn about the whole process.
“I would just urge people to give blood.”
Martin Wilson, a retired Rolls-Royce engineer, has donated blood about 80 times.
He said: “It’s great to donate but to actually meet a recipient of your own blood and understand how much difference they think it has made to their life is incredible.”
Consultant ophthalmologist Dr Omar Elhaddad, of UH Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Serum drops greatly improve life quality for most patients, like Carolyn, and can even be sight-saving.
“I am very grateful for blood donors. Their generous and valuable donations really can change people’s lives.”
NHS Blood and transplant consultant Dr Akila Chandrasekar said: “Serum eye drops can be made from the patient’s own blood, however around 80% of the patients who need this treatment rely on blood from volunteer donations.
“Blood is complex can be used in many ways.”
To become a blood donor, visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 2323.
Picture: Donors Martin Wilson (in blue) and Martin Darwin (in white) with Carolyn Frost (front, centre) at Bristol Blood Donor Centre.