Eye Banking: An Overview

(harvesting) and processing donor corneas and for distributing them to trained corneal graft surgeons.3 It should be registered with the competent authority in the state under the Transplantation of Human Organs Act 1994. With the availability of MK medium and Optisol, eye banks should ideally switch over from enucleation to in situ corneal excision procedures. This will enable better viability of donated corneas during storage. Structurally, it has administrative and medical components. Functionally, the administrative section is responsible for public awareness programs, liaison with government, local voluntary and other health care agencies and fundraising. The medical section deals with the entire technical operation of the eye bank. Basically, the eye banking system has a three-tier approach. The different constituents are eye donation centers, eye banks and eye banking training centers. All of them have to be integrated. Networking of eye banks under the umbrella of a national organization allows better attempts at public education programs, an institution of newer eye banking procedures, and training programs. India needs 50 eye banks, five of which will also be eye banking training centers, 2000 eye donation centers, Cornea Retrieval Programmes in 500 hospitals and 1000 corneal specialists to make a real impact on the problem of this reversible form of corneal blindness. Let all of us involved in the fight against corneal blindness work together for a national goal.