They discovered that they could "wake up" photoreceptor cells—cells that detect light and enable us to see—up to five hours after an organ donor's death. These cells could respond to bright light, colored lights, and even very dim flashes of light.
Between a half hour to three hours after death, the eyelid loses its elasticity, the pupil dilates and there is a distinct change in the cornea, which is normally transparent. The exact timing of these changes depends on the state of the eyes (open or closed), ambient temperature, and humidity.
The corneas should be collected preferably within an hour of death, although they can also be removed up to 6-8 hours later. Hence, it's critical that you contact the nearest eye bank as soon as possible so that the eye bank team can reach the deceased and perform the corneal excision in time.
The organ of vision contains a particular substance, retinal purple, on which is imprinted in their exact form these images. They have even been perfectly reconstituted when the eye, after death, is removed and soaked in an alum bath.
You will know that your loved one has died because: There will be no breathing, response, or pulse. The eyelids may be slightly open and they will not blink. Their pupils will be enlarged.
Scientists in the US proved that photosensitive neuron cells in the retina can still respond to light and communicate with each other up to five hours after death, sending signals “resembling those recorded from living subjects”.
Visions and Hallucinations
Visual or auditory hallucinations are often part of the dying experience. The appearance of family members or loved ones who have died is common. These visions are considered normal. The dying may turn their focus to “another world” and talk to people or see things that others do not see.
A body may be different in death to life because:
For example, skin has changed colour due to internal bleeding, or the body's facial appearance has changed due to a broken jaw, or cuts, etc. a mortician or funeral director has changed a body's appearance through clothing, or hair arrangement, or cosmetics.
Changes in Eyes
Dilated pupil due to loss of muscle tone in iris and later on constricts, as rigor mortis develops. Tache noire formation –within three hours of death if eyes remain open. These are the areas of brownish black discoloration on the exposed sclera between the eye lids.
Your eye and brain retain a visual impression for about 1/30 of a second. (The exact time depends on the brightness of the image.) This ability to retain an image is known as persistence of vision. As you swing the tube from side to side, the eye is presented with a succession of narrow, slit-shaped images.
For example, thoracic organs, like the heart and lungs, can only remain viable for transplant after being outside the body for four to six hours, while the liver can function for up to 12 hours and kidneys for up to 36 hours.
At the time of death, all tissue rapidly begins to degrade. In order to ensure the greatest research and diagnostic value for the brain tissue, it is essential that it is removed as quickly after death as possible.
Donors are universal. Age, eye color, and the quality of your eyesight don't matter. Doctors can remove and store corneas several hours after death.
What Happens One Hour After Death? At the moment of death, all of the muscles in the body relax (primary flaccidity ). The eyelids lose their tension, the pupils dilate, the jaw may fall open, and the joints and limbs are flexible.
For approximately the first 3 hours after death the body will be flaccid (soft) and warm. After about 3-8 hours is starts to stiffen, and from approximately 8-36 hours it will be stiff and cold. The body becomes stiff because of a range of chemical changes in the muscle fibres after death.
There may be some compacting—holding down of energy—in the heart center, to avoid energetic interaction with people” and that “At the beginning stages of death, the energy field starts to separate. The lower three bodies (layers of the energy field) break up and dissolve.
After death, there is are no reflexes of the pupils to light and the cornea also loses its reflex. The cornea of the deceased also become cloudy after two hours of death. Besides that, the pressure in the eyes start to decrease and the eyeballs become flaccid before it they sink into the orbits of the eyes.
In time, the heart stops and they stop breathing. Within a few minutes, their brain stops functioning entirely and their skin starts to cool. At this point, they have died.
24-72 hours after death — the internal organs decompose. 3-5 days after death — the body starts to bloat and blood-containing foam leaks from the mouth and nose. 8-10 days after death — the body turns from green to red as the blood decomposes and the organs in the abdomen accumulate gas.
After someone dies, it's normal to see or hear them. Some people also reporting sensing the smell or warmth of someone close to them, or just feel a very strong sense of their presence. Sometimes these feelings can be very powerful. They may be comforting but also feel disturbing.
It has been used to prevent the odor of decay, to give family members closure and prevent them from witnessing the decomposition of their loved ones, and in many cultures it has been seen as a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life.
It takes around 12 hours for a human body to be cool to the touch and 24 hours to cool to the core. Rigor mortis commences after three hours and lasts until 36 hours after death.
Hospice has a program that says that no one should have to die alone, and yet this hospice nurse is telling me to take a break? Some patients want to die when no one else is there. Hospice professionals know that companionship while dying is a personal preference.
Changing vital signs
As a person approaches death, their vital signs may change in the following ways: blood pressure drops. breathing changes. heartbeat becomes irregular.
This difficult time may be complicated by a phenomenon known as the surge before death, or terminal lucidity, which can happen days, hours, or even minutes before a person's passing. Often occurring abruptly, this period of increased energy and alertness may give families false hope that their loved ones will recover.