AIIMS Expands Cornea Retrieval Network with Three New Hospitals
AIIMS National Eye Bank strengthens its cornea retrieval efforts by partnering with three hospitals in Delhi to enhance donor tissue availability.
The National Eye Bank at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi has bolstered its cornea retrieval network by signing Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with three additional hospitals. This move aims to enhance the availability of donor tissues for corneal transplants, a critical procedure for restoring vision in patients with corneal blindness.
New Partnerships for Enhanced Cornea Procurement
The newly added hospitals—Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. RML Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, and Northern Railway Central Hospital—will collaborate with AIIMS under the Hospital Corneal Retrieval Programme (HCRP). This initiative focuses on corneal tissue procurement, research, and training. The program is designed to identify potential donors, counsel bereaved families, and efficiently retrieve corneal tissues.
In 2025, the AIIMS eye bank collected 2,167 corneas and successfully performed transplants on 1,775 patients. The HCRP was responsible for retrieving 81.9% of these corneas, highlighting its effectiveness in meeting the demand for corneal transplants. Over the past four years, AIIMS has consistently performed over 1,300 corneal transplants annually.
Innovations and Achievements
The eye bank has been at the forefront of adopting advanced techniques such as Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), a sutureless procedure that transplants only the functional endothelial membrane. This method allows for quicker visual rehabilitation in patients with endothelial dysfunction.
During the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight, AIIMS showcased its achievements, including the development of an online death-notification system. This system facilitates prompt communication with bereaved families and supports an online eye-donation pledge mechanism. In the past year, 100 individuals pledged their eyes to the eye bank.
Broader Impact and Future Plans
Beyond its immediate partnerships, AIIMS has also been proactive in training over 500 ophthalmologists in advanced corneal transplantation techniques. Furthermore, the eye bank supplied 4,652 vials of its indigenous corneal preservation medium, ExStorSol, to 130 eye banks across 24 states in the 2025-26 period.
AIIMS is also working on a RayMed-supported project to procure corneal tissue for pediatric keratoplasty from other eye banks. In addition, a five-year collaboration with Vision-Aid aims to establish 10 Integrated Vision Centres across Delhi-NCR and a Cerebral Visual Impairment Resource Centre for children.
Recognizing its contributions, the National Eye Bank received a prestigious national award last year and continues to honor donor families, hospitals, NGOs, and partner eye banks for their support.