AIIMS Expands Corneal Retrieval Network with Three New Hospitals
AIIMS National Eye Bank partners with three hospitals to enhance corneal tissue procurement for transplants.
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 move aims to bolster the availability of donor tissues for corneal transplants, critical for addressing corneal blindness in India.
New Partnerships to Enhance Tissue Procurement
The eye bank has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences and Dr. RML Hospital, Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, and Northern Railway Central Hospital. These collaborations are part of the AIIMS-Delhi Hospital Corneal Retrieval Programme (HCRP), which focuses on corneal tissue procurement, research, and training. The programme is designed to streamline the process of identifying potential donors, counseling bereaved families, and retrieving corneas in hospital settings.
Significant Contributions to Eye Health
In 2025, the AIIMS eye bank collected 2,167 corneas, performing transplants on 1,775 patients. Notably, 81.9% of these corneas were obtained through the HCRP. Over the past four years, the center has consistently performed more than 1,300 corneal transplants annually, highlighting its pivotal role in combating corneal blindness.
Since its inception 61 years ago, the eye bank has collected over 38,000 corneas and facilitated visual rehabilitation for more than 28,000 individuals. The center has also trained over 500 ophthalmologists in advanced corneal transplantation techniques, including the sutureless Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), which allows for faster visual recovery in patients with endothelial dysfunction.
Innovations and Community Engagement
AIIMS is pioneering the use of a fully online death-notification system to expedite contact with bereaved families, and an online eye-donation pledge system has seen 100 pledges in the past year. The center has distributed over 4,652 vials of its indigenous corneal preservation medium, ExStorSol, to 130 eye banks across 24 states in the 2025-26 period.
Additionally, AIIMS has partnered with Vision-Aid to establish 10 Integrated Vision Centres in the Delhi-NCR region and a dedicated Cerebral Visual Impairment Resource Centre for children. A RayMed-supported project is underway to procure corneal tissue from other eye banks for pediatric keratoplasty.
Recognizing its contributions, the National Eye Bank received a national award last year. At a recent event, the center honored donor families, hospitals, NGOs, and partner eye banks, underscoring its commitment to advancing eye health in India.