Racing against the clock: why one in three donated corneas is wasted
India faces a significant shortage of donor corneas, with only 25% of the annual demand met due to logistical delays and high wastage rates. Researchers are exploring bioengineered grafts to recycle damaged tissue, though improved retrieval and storage logistics remain the primary immediate solution.
Why it matters
Addressing the high wastage of donated organs is critical to improving public health outcomes and reducing the burden of preventable blindness in India.
Data for 2024-25 reveals that 51,249 corneas were donated in India, which met just a quarter of the projected need of around 1,00,000 corneas annually. The reason for this is a utilisation rate of 50% at best, with actual transplants performed ranging only between 25,000 to 30,000.
Why does this happen? The cause for a significant proportion of this gift of vision not reaching an operating table is the donated corneal tissue not being tested or processed in time. Other causes include improper harvesting and storage, as well as the decrease in endothelial cell density, which comes with an increase in age of donors. While some of these factors may not have an immediate or implementable solution, what is fixable, is timing and logistics.
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