'My life is on hold waiting for a cornea transplant'

Ben Cronin is losing his sight and is encouraging people to consider donating their corneas when they die

An eye patient says his life has been put on hold because he is one of thousands of people waiting for a cornea transplant amid a donor shortage.

Ben Cronin, 33, from Wrentham, Suffolk, has a progressive eye condition known as keratoconus - where the cornea becomes thinner and bulges into a cone shape.

He struggles with everyday life and while he volunteers for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation, he has now had to give up paid employment.

On World Sight Day, Mr Cronin and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) are encouraging people to donate their corneas when they die, to help 4,000 people on the transplant waiting list.

"The vision in my left eye has become increasingly blurred and unstable," Mr Cronin explained.

"Everyday tasks that most people take for granted, such as reading signs, recognising faces, or driving, have become extremely challenging.

"A cornea transplant is now the only option to restore some clarity and stability to my sight."

The number of cornea donors fell by 3% in 2024-25 to 4,976, leaving a growing number of patients waiting for a transplant

Mr Cronin's father Ben, from Halesworth, died in 2011 at the age of 69 after contracting pneumonia and sepsis, but he was able to donate his corneas and save the sight of two people.

"Donation did not take away the pain of losing him, but it gave that loss meaning," he said.

"It is something that continues to make me proud every single day.

"As someone who is now waiting for a cornea transplant myself, the connection feels even more personal.

"It is humbling to be on both sides of donation - as part of a donor family and as a future recipient."

Mr Cronin is listed for his transplant at the James Paget University Hospital in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Mr Cronin (right), pictured with his partner Andrew, dreams of becoming a specialist nurse in organ donation

According to the NHSBT, 18% of people on the Organ Donor Register have chosen not to donate all their organs, and almost two-thirds of them, about 3.3 million, say they do not want to donate their corneas.

Figures also show that 500 patients wait more than a year for their cornea transplant due to a donor shortage, with 70 donors a week needed to ensure there are enough continuously available.

Kyle Bennett, assistant director of tissue and eye services at NHSBT, encouraged people to consider donating their eyes so their corneas could be given to save someone's sight.