AIIMS Expands Cornea Retrieval Network with Three New Hospital Collaborations
AIIMS' National Eye Bank partners with three hospitals to boost corneal tissue retrieval and transplantation efforts.
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 initiative aims to enhance the availability of donor corneal tissue for transplantation, a crucial step in addressing the needs of patients with corneal blindness.
Strengthening Cornea Retrieval Efforts
The eye bank has formalized agreements with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. RML Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, and Northern Railway Central Hospital. These partnerships are part of the AIIMS-Delhi Hospital Corneal Retrieval Programme (HCRP), which focuses on corneal tissue procurement, research, and training.
In 2025, the National Eye Bank collected 2,167 corneas and performed 1,775 transplants. The HCRP was responsible for retrieving 81.9% of the corneas collected, highlighting the program's effectiveness in identifying donors and securing tissues for transplantation.
Innovative Techniques and Training
AIIMS has made significant strides in corneal transplantation techniques, including performing 631 optical keratoplasties last year. The center has also adopted the Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) method, which transplants only the functional endothelial membrane, allowing faster visual rehabilitation for patients with endothelial dysfunction.
Over the years, the eye bank has collected more than 38,000 corneas and facilitated the visual rehabilitation of over 28,000 individuals through transplantation. It has also trained over 500 ophthalmologists in advanced techniques, ensuring a skilled workforce to continue these efforts.
Community Engagement and Future Plans
The eye bank has implemented a fully online death-notification system to expedite donor family contact and an online eye-donation pledge system. In the past year, 100 individuals have pledged their eyes, contributing to the growing pool of potential donors.
AIIMS has also distributed over 4,652 vials of its indigenous corneal preservation medium, ExStorSol, to 130 eye banks across 24 states in the 2025-26 period. Supported by RayMed, the institute is working on procuring corneal tissue from other eye banks for pediatric keratoplasty.
Furthermore, AIIMS has embarked on 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 continues to be recognized for its contributions, having received a National Award for its outstanding work in eye banking.