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April 15 - Study Shows Older Corneas
May Work Well for Transplant
People on long waiting lists for corneal transplants,
which could help recover their eyesight, may not have to wait
any longer. According to a new study conducted by researchers
at the University of Cincinnati (UC), older corneas may transplant
as well as younger ones, which will expand the age of cornea
donation to 75 and increase the corneal donor pool. The study
was published in the April edition of Ophthalmology.
Edward Holland, MD, a coauthor of the study
and an affiliate professor of clinical ophthalmology at UC,
says there has been controversy among corneal surgeons about
using older eye tissue. Corneal transplantation is a surgical
procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea—the clear
part of eye in front of the iris and pupil—is replaced
by donated corneal tissue.
“There has been a long-standing bias
among corneal surgeons to use younger donors,” Holland
says. “But starting in the late '90s, we’ve been
addressing the shortage of corneal tissue due to the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration regulations and the elimination
of usable corneas due to Lasik surgery.”
Holland and his colleagues randomly assigned
cornea recipients younger or older tissue and found the corneas
of both groups survived just as well five years later. The
study, funded by the National Eye Institute, involved 105
surgeons at 80 medical centers across the nation. Approximately
1,100 people with swelling known as Fuchs’ dystrophy
and postoperative cataract surgery swelling were recruited
for the study.
“At the five-year mark, the success
rate was the same, about 86%, for both those in the age range
of 12 to 65 years and those in the age range of 66 to 75 years,”
Holland says. “This was very encouraging.”
Holland says this study will hopefully encourage
corneal surgeons to use older tissue and will increase the
donor pool by 20% to 35%, which is significant growth. “It
will also reduce healthcare costs because the number of cancellations
for scheduled surgery will be reduced,” he says. “In
addition, more corneas can be used locally instead of requiring
shipment from across the country.
“We feel that this finding will significantly
impact the lives of those who have been waiting for corneal
transplants and will help surgeons across the country deliver
these life-changing operations in a timelier manner,”
he adds.
Source: University of Cincinnati
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