A new clinical investigation published in JAMA Ophthalmology has found that corneas from donors with diabetes are just as effective for transplantation as those from non-diabetic donors — a finding that could dramatically expand the global cornea donor pool and reduce wait times for sight-restoring surgery.
The Diabetes Endothelial Keratoplasty Study (DEKS), funded by the National Eye Institute (NIH), tracked outcomes from more than 1,400 corneal transplants performed by 46 surgeons across 28 US medical centers. Led by Jonathan Lass, MD, Charles I. Thomas Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and a member of the Eversight Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Committee, the study found no difference in one-year graft survival rates between corneas from diabetic and non-diabetic donors.
The results were presented at the Cornea and Eye Banking Forum in Orlando, Florida, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting (October 17-20). Eversight, one of 13 participating eye banks, contributed donor tissue and clinical expertise to the NIH-funded trial.
“Evidence from this study has the potential to expand access to sight-restoring surgery for thousands of people around the world,” said Michael Titus, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Eversight. “By confirming that corneas from donors with diabetes are just as viable, we enable broader use for more advanced, selective layer transplantations and more patients will receive the transplants they need to regain their vision.”
The Diabetes Endothelial Keratoplasty Study (DEKS), funded by the National Eye Institute (NIH), tracked outcomes from more than 1,400 corneal transplants performed by 46 surgeons across 28 US medical centers. Led by Jonathan Lass, MD, Charles I. Thomas Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Case Western Reserve University and a member of the Eversight Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Committee, the study found no difference in one-year graft survival rates between corneas from diabetic and non-diabetic donors.
The results were presented at the Cornea and Eye Banking Forum in Orlando, Florida, held in conjunction with the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting (October 17-20). Eversight, one of 13 participating eye banks, contributed donor tissue and clinical expertise to the NIH-funded trial.
“Evidence from this study has the potential to expand access to sight-restoring surgery for thousands of people around the world,” said Michael Titus, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations at Eversight. “By confirming that corneas from donors with diabetes are just as viable, we enable broader use for more advanced, selective layer transplantations and more patients will receive the transplants they need to regain their vision.”
