Registration Of Eye Banks Must To Perform Cornea Transplants

Nagpur: Registration of eye banks will become mandatory for allocation of donated corneas through a centralised waitlist system to ensure equitable access to corneal transplants. The decision announced by the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC), Nagpur region, ahead of World Eye Donation Day on June 10, seeks to bring corneal tissue allocation in line with the regulated mechanism followed for other organs procured from deceased donors."Corneas too need to be regulated like other organs of deceased donors that are allocated on a rotational basis and as per waitlist," said Dr Manish Shrigiriwar, president of ZTCC-Nagpur. He said the move will ensure greater transparency, prevent preferential allocation, and provide equal opportunities to patients awaiting corneal transplants across different hospitals.Dr Shrigiriwar said with tissues currently covered under Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), corneal allocation should be governed by a structured and accountable framework.Currently, donated corneas are often routed to a few eye hospitals, resulting in unequal access and prolonged waiting periods for patients registered elsewhere. The centralised waitlist and rotational allocation model aim to address these disparities and ensure fair distribution irrespective of the transplant centre where a patient is enrolled.The decision comes at a time when the demand for eye care and corneal transplantation is witnessing steady growth in the region. Data from the district hospital, Nagpur, shows eye donations have more than doubled over the past five years, rising from 237 in 2021-22 to 508 in 2025-26, leading to a significant increase in corneal transplant procedures. Keratoplasty surgeries in the region nearly quadrupled in the same period, climbing from 58 cases in 2021-22 to 225 in 2025-26, reflecting both improved donation awareness and growing demand for sight-restoring surgeries.The overall burden on eye care services has also risen substantially. Outpatient visits at the district hospital's ophthalmology department rose from 5,246 in 2021-22 to 12,048 in 2025-26, while cataract surgeries performed at govt facilities surged from 3,646 to 10,095 in this period. Combined cataract operations undertaken by govt and NGOs reached 17,881 in 2025-26.ZTCC officials said the mandatory registration and centralised allocation system would strengthen coordination among eye banks and transplant centres, improve transparency in tissue distribution, and help meet the demand for corneal transplantation across the Nagpur region.