Eye Donation Consent Should Be Mandatory For Driving Licences: Ophthalmologists

Mumbai, September 3, 2026 - Ophthalmologists are urging the mandatory inclusion of eye-donation consent on driving licences, echoing the US system, to combat India's significant cornea shortage. India requires approximately 250,000 corneas annually but receives only around 50,000 donations. Dr Shashi Kapoor, a leading ophthalmologist, proposes recording consent on driving licences, akin to the US model, to expedite eye retrieval after a donor's death.

Corneas must be retrieved within six hours of death for transplantation, and Kapoor asserts that a pre-recorded consent would alert eye banks promptly, reducing critical delays. India currently lacks a nationwide mandatory system for eye donation, unlike the US, where relatives are often approached regarding donations at the right moment.

This absence of a systematic approach leads to substantial delays, with patients on corneal transplant waiting lists facing six to nine months of waiting. Kapoor proposes deploying trained social workers at hospitals to counsel families of deceased individuals on eye donation. If India adopts a similar consent-based system, it could dramatically increase cornea donations and bridge the substantial gap between supply and demand.