Fight for Sight backs opt-out organ donations

UK eye research charity Fight for Sight has supported the Department of Health’s decision to introduce an opt-out system by encouraging people to talk about organ donation.

Under the plans proposed by Jeremy Hunt this week, English nationals would be presumed happy to donate their organs, unless they have registered to ‘opt-out’ of donations.

With a shortage of donor eyes for transplants in the UK, the charity has backed the government plans and hopes that, by changing the system to an opt-out model of consent, more viable organs will be available for patients.

In addition, the eye research charity has also urged existing and potential organ donors to donate their corneas to help fight conditions such as keratoconus and Fuchs dystrophy, with nine out of ten restricted donors in the UK not wanting their corneas donated.