Authors (including presenting author) :
Wong CSM(1), Wu MWK(1), Chow VWS(1)(2)
Affiliation :
(1)Hospital Authority Eye Bank, (2) Hong Kong Eye Hospital
Keyword 1: :
eye donation
Keyword 2: :
corneal tissue
Keyword 3: :
death-to-preservation time
Introduction :
Hospital Authority Eye Bank (HAEB) is the only eye bank in the territory responsible for eye donor solicitation and recovery of deceased eye tissue.
Objectives :
To increase the availability of eligible cornea donors, HAEB has sought evidence from literature and lengthened the death-to-preservation time (DTPT) from 12 hours to 24 hours since 11 June 2024. Its impact on eye tissue recruitment will be studied.
Methodology :
A retrospective study was conducted between 11 June 2024 and 10 June 2025 and compared with the same period in the previous year. Parameters assessed included number of families approached, consents obtained, tissues collected & distributed, consent rate, tissue quality & report of adverse reaction.
Result & Outcome :
A total of 187 consented cases were obtained between 11 June 2024 and 10 June 2025. The total number of cases reviewed increased by 22.8% and the number of families approached increased by 11% compared to the previous year. The consent rate, however, was reduced by 3.4%. The total number of grafts collected increased by 25.7%, but the overall number of tissues that could be distributed only increased by 13.8%. The number of adverse reactions reported during the two time periods was comparable. Extending DTPT allowed Eye Bank to recruit more donors and facilitated coordination in tissue procurement and logistics. However, other factors such as the willingness to donate and the quality of the tissue harvested still remained as limiting factors that hampered the availability of transplantable tissue.
