AIIMS Expands Cornea Retrieval Network with Three New Hospitals
AIIMS National Eye Bank partners with three hospitals to boost corneal tissue collection 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 signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with three additional hospitals. This strategic move aims to enhance the availability of donor corneal tissue for transplantation purposes.
New Partnerships to Boost Corneal Transplantation
The newly added hospitals to the AIIMS-Delhi Hospital Corneal Retrieval Programme (HCRP) include the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. RML Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, and the Northern Railway Central Hospital. These collaborations are set to facilitate corneal tissue procurement, research, and training initiatives.
AIIMS has been actively involved in corneal transplants, having collected 2,167 corneas in 2025 and performed transplants on 1,775 patients suffering from corneal blindness. The eye bank has consistently performed over 1,300 corneal transplants annually for the past four years.
Significant Achievements and Innovations
The eye bank's hospital-based program plays a crucial role in identifying potential donors, counseling grieving families, and retrieving corneas efficiently. In 2025, 81.9% of the collected corneas were retrieved through this program. Since its inception 61 years ago, the eye bank has collected over 38,000 corneas and has visually rehabilitated more than 28,000 individuals through transplantation.
Furthermore, the eye bank has transitioned to using the sutureless Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) technique for suitable patients with endothelial dysfunction. This method potentially allows for faster visual rehabilitation.
Future Plans and Community Engagement
During the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight event at AIIMS, the eye bank showcased its advancements, including the implementation of a fully online death-notification system and an online eye-donation pledge system. Over the past year, 100 individuals have pledged their eyes through this initiative.
In addition to its retrieval efforts, the eye bank distributed more than 4,652 vials of its indigenous corneal preservation medium, ExStorSol, to 130 eye banks across 24 states during 2025-26. A project supported by RayMed is also facilitating the procurement of corneal tissue from other eye banks for pediatric keratoplasty.
AIIMS has partnered with Vision-Aid for a five-year initiative to establish 10 Integrated Vision Centres across Delhi-NCR and a dedicated Cerebral Visual Impairment Resource Centre for children. Recognized for its contributions to eye banking, the National Eye Bank received a National Award last year and honored donor families, hospitals, NGOs, and partner eye banks during the recent event.