An eye-bank in Mumbai will soon have the expertise to preserve therapeutic corneas for two years. It will be a first for an Indian eye bank and Maharashtra will be the only state to avail the benefit.
In a collaboration of memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed two months ago, International Federation of Eye Banks and Tissue Banks, a Baltimore-based organisation will train the staff from Eye Bank Coordination and Research Centre (EBCRC), Parel for the technique to prolong the shelf life of therapeutic corneas. Currently, therapeutic corneas are stored in Cornisol or MK Media and can only be preserved for two weeks.
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Corneas will be irradiated with gamma radiations and stored in a medium, which will make them viable at room temperature for two years. The irradiation will be done at Tata Memorial Hospital.
Though being the first state to avail the benefit, Maharashtra won’t be able to transfer corneas to patients across other states as a 2008 state notification prohibits eye banks from sending corneas outside Maharashtra. The notification also restricts the state from sending non-viable corneas to teaching institutes outside Maharashtra.
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