Each year, many Americans lose part or all of their sight due to an injury, virus or medical condition. Sometimes, vision may be restored through a corneal transplant. This involves transplanting the clear front cover of the eye from a deceased donor to the eye of the recipient in a surgical procedure. Individuals may donate their eyes at the time of death at no charge to their family, potentially giving the gift of sight to someone in need.
Join a Donor Registry
Joining a donor registry is an important step in becoming a future eye donor. An interested individual should begin by visiting OrganDonor.gov, a website maintained by the Health Resources and Service Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This resource lists links to the donor registries for each state. The prospective donor should follow the instructions for his state's donor registry, specifying that he wishes to donate his eyes at his time of death. PreventBlindness.org explains that an adult in any state can also signify that he wishes to be an organ donor by signing a statement on the back of his driver's license. This option is available on the reverse of many state identification cards for those who do not have a driver's license.
Tell Family Members
Family members should be told of the decision to donate one's eyes, relates the Heartland Lions Eye Banks. In some states, the next of kin must give consent even if the deceased has joined the state donor registry. Regardless, it is beneficial for the family to be told of the wishes of the prospective donor while she is living because the family may need to inform emergency medical personnel, initiate the call to the eye bank, or follow procedures to keep the eyes harvestable until medical help arrives. An individual who wishes to donate her eyes should tell her legal next of kin, which may be her spouse, adult child, parent, sibling or other family member. It may also be beneficial to tell the family members with whom she spends the majority of her time.
Tell the Physician
According to Prevent Blindness America, it is essential for someone who wishes to become a cornea donor to inform his physician, including the family doctor or general practitioner and any doctor treating him on a regular basis. This helps the physician know to begin the eye donation process at the time of death.
