How to Become an Eye Donor: Step-by-Step Registration, Legal, and Donation Process

1. Educate yourself: Learn about corneal transplantation impact (restores vision for corneal blindness).
2. Register: Join state donor registry (often via DMV/license) or eye bank website.
3. Inform family: They will be contacted at time of death; their consent is usually required even if registered.
4. Medical screening: At death, eye bank evaluates medical history, serology, corneal clarity.
5. Consent documentation: Legal next-of-kin signs consent forms.
6. Recovery: Corneas (and sometimes sclera) surgically removed within 12-24 hours post-mortem.
7. Processing: Tissue evaluated, preserved, distributed to surgeons.
8. Transplantation: Recipient undergoes keratoplasty; vision restored in ~95% of cases.

Age limits: usually 2-75 for corneas; no upper limit for research/glaucoma shunts. Cancer, active infection, unknown cause of death may exclude donation.