AIIMS Expands Cornea Retrieval Network with Three New Hospital Partners
AIIMS National Eye Bank partners with three hospitals to boost cornea retrieval and transplantation efforts in Delhi.
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) National Eye Bank in New Delhi has significantly expanded its cornea retrieval capabilities by partnering with three additional hospitals. This strategic move aims to enhance the availability of donor corneal tissues for transplantation. Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (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.
Strengthening Corneal Transplantation Efforts
The addition of these hospitals comes as the AIIMS eye bank continues to address the high demand for corneal transplants. In 2025 alone, the eye bank collected 2,167 corneas and performed transplants on 1,775 patients suffering from corneal blindness. The HCRP plays a crucial role, with 81.9% of the corneas collected through this program. It facilitates the work of eye-bank counsellors and technicians in identifying potential donors, counselling bereaved families, and retrieving corneas directly from hospitals.
Over the past 61 years, the AIIMS eye bank has collected more than 38,000 corneas and helped visually rehabilitate over 28,000 individuals through corneal transplantation. The center has also trained over 500 ophthalmologists in advanced corneal transplantation techniques, ensuring a skilled workforce for future endeavors.
Innovative Techniques and National Contributions
In 2025, the eye bank performed 631 optical keratoplasties and adopted the sutureless Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) technique. This method involves transplanting only the functional endothelial membrane in patients with endothelial dysfunction, potentially allowing faster visual rehabilitation.
During the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight at AIIMS, the center highlighted several advancements, including a fully online death-notification system for rapid contact with bereaved families and an online eye-donation pledge system. Over the past year, 100 individuals pledged their eyes to the eye bank.
Additionally, AIIMS distributed over 4,652 vials of its indigenous corneal preservation medium, ExStorSol, to 130 eye banks across 24 states in 2025-26. A project supported by RayMed is also underway to facilitate the procurement of corneal tissue from other eye banks, specifically for pediatric keratoplasty.
Future Initiatives and Partnerships
AIIMS has entered a five-year collaboration with Vision-Aid to establish 10 Integrated Vision Centres across Delhi-NCR and a dedicated Cerebral Visual Impairment Resource Centre for children. This partnership aims to broaden the scope of visual rehabilitation services available in the region.
Recognizing its contributions to eye banking, AIIMS received a national award last year. The eye bank continues to honor donor families, hospitals, NGOs, and partner eye banks for their support and collaboration, ensuring that the network remains robust and effective in combating corneal blindness.