AIIMS Eye Bank Expands Cornea Retrieval with Three New Hospitals
AIIMS' National Eye Bank partners with three hospitals to enhance cornea retrieval and transplantation efforts.
The National Eye Bank at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi has broadened its network for cornea retrieval by forming partnerships with three additional hospitals. This strategic move aims to improve the availability of donor tissue for corneal transplantation.
The eye bank has established 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 partnerships are part of the AIIMS-Delhi Hospital Corneal Retrieval Programme (HCRP), which focuses on procuring corneal tissue, conducting research, and providing training.
Boosting Corneal Transplantation Efforts
In 2025, the National Eye Bank collected 2,167 corneas and facilitated transplants for 1,775 patients suffering from corneal blindness. The HCRP was instrumental in retrieving 81.9% of these corneas, demonstrating its effectiveness in identifying potential donors and coordinating with bereaved families.
Over the past six decades, the eye bank has collected more than 38,000 corneas and restored vision to over 28,000 individuals through transplantation. Additionally, the center has been at the forefront of training, having educated over 500 ophthalmologists in advanced corneal transplantation techniques.
Innovations and Future Initiatives
The eye bank has also adopted sutureless Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), a technique that involves transplanting only the functional endothelial membrane. This method is expected to offer patients with endothelial dysfunction faster visual rehabilitation.
During the 41st National Eye Donation Fortnight at AIIMS, the eye bank highlighted its advancements, including an online death-notification system to expedite communication with families and an online pledge system for eye donations. Over the past year, 100 individuals have pledged their eyes to the bank.
The center distributed more than 4,652 vials of its indigenous corneal preservation medium, ExStorSol, to 130 eye banks across 24 states in 2025-26. A RayMed-supported project is also underway to secure corneal tissue for pediatric keratoplasty.
AIIMS has entered into a five-year collaboration with Vision-Aid to establish ten Integrated Vision Centres in the Delhi-NCR region and a dedicated Cerebral Visual Impairment Resource Centre for children. The National Eye Bank, recognized with a national award last year for its contributions to eye banking, continues to honor donor families, hospitals, NGOs, and partner eye banks for their support.