According to Halacha, is it permissible to perform eye donations or not?
I ask because, unlike many other organs, the eye isn’t generally a case of Pikuach Nefesh, but there are many things in life that require good eyes. Would this be considered prohibited on the basis you don’t own your body, or permissible?
R Chaim Jachter has a very good summary of relevant opinions
Rav Waldenberg and Dayan Weisz categorically forbid cornea transplants because of the issue of denigrating the dead
Rav Isser Yehuda Unterman permits cornea transplants because the cornea is smaller than the size of an olive and constitutes a distinct unit, as such there is no prohibitions to derive benefit from the dead and to denigrate the dead to such a small and distinct part of the body
Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank disagrees with the above but is inclined to permit the transplant for another reason, he views receiving a cornea as benefiting in an unusual manner which the gemara (Pesachim 25b) permits for something that we normally are forbidden to benefit from
Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg permits cornea transplants on behalf of one who is blind in both eyes, he reasons that a blind individual is in danger of falling into a pit or fire (or traffic), and therefore it is vital for him to receive eyesight in any fashion
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach endorses the lenient ruling of Rav Unterman, as does Rav Ovadia Yosef (Teshuvot Yabia Omer 3 Y.D. 23), though he does so only in case of great need and if the donor during his lifetime authorized the donation of a cornea after death.
For more incl. detailed sources and reasoning see the original. See also here for additional details.
