AIIMS Expands Cornea Retrieval Network with New Hospital Partnerships
AIIMS National Eye Bank partners with three hospitals to boost corneal transplant efforts, enhancing tissue procurement and training.
The National Eye Bank at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi has expanded its cornea retrieval network by partnering with three additional hospitals. This strategic move aims to augment the availability of donor corneal tissue for transplantation. The eye bank has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, and Northern Railway Central Hospital. These partnerships are part of the AIIMS-Delhi Hospital Corneal Retrieval Programme (HCRP), focusing on corneal tissue procurement, research, and training.
Boost in Corneal Transplantation Efforts
The eye bank's initiative comes in response to the high demand for corneal transplants. In 2025 alone, the bank collected 2,167 corneas and performed transplants on 1,775 patients suffering from corneal blindness. Impressively, the eye bank has consistently performed over 1,300 corneal transplants annually for the past four years. Of the corneas collected last year, 81.9% were retrieved through the HCRP, which is instrumental in identifying potential donors and counseling bereaved families for cornea donations.
Advanced Techniques and Innovations
AIIMS's eye bank has also made significant strides in advanced corneal transplantation techniques. It has transitioned to performing sutureless Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), a procedure that involves transplanting only the functional endothelial membrane in suitable patients. This technique allows for quicker visual rehabilitation. In 2025, the center performed 631 optical keratoplasties, highlighting its commitment to adopting innovative surgical methods.
Furthermore, the eye bank has developed a fully online death-notification system to expedite communication with bereaved families, alongside an online eye-donation pledge system. Last year, 100 individuals pledged to donate their eyes, demonstrating growing public awareness and participation in eye donation.
Expanding Resources and Partnerships
The eye bank has also expanded its resources by supplying more than 4,652 vials of its indigenous corneal preservation medium, ExStorSol, to 130 eye banks across 24 states during 2025-26. A RayMed-supported project is additionally facilitating the procurement of corneal tissue from other eye banks for pediatric keratoplasty.
AIIMS has forged a five-year partnership with Vision-Aid to establish 10 Integrated Vision Centres across Delhi-NCR and a dedicated Cerebral Visual Impairment Resource Centre for children. The National Eye Bank, recognized last year with a National Award for its contributions to eye banking, honored donor families, hospitals, NGOs, and partner eye banks during the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight programme at AIIMS.