Comparison of domestic and overseas donor corneas for keratoplasty

Purpose: To compare the safety of domestic and overseas donor corneas for keratoplasty. Objects and Method: This study was made on 490 eyes donated to us through eyebanks in the past 5 years through 2010. The series comprised 245 eyes from domestic donors and 245 eyes from USA. Results: Age of domestic donors averaged 68.8 years and that of overseas donors averaged 63.1 years. The difference was significant (p<0.01). Corneal endothelial density averaged 2713.3 and 2515.3/mm ² respectively. The difference was significant (p<0.01). Primary graft failure occurred in 4 domestic eyes and none in overseas eyes. There was no difference in the positive rate of culture from corneal limbus or preservation medium between domestic and overseas donor eyes. Conclusion: The mean corneal endothelial density was higher in domestic than in overseas cornea. Primary graft failure was more frequent in domestic than overseas eyes. More strict quality control is desired for donated corneas.