Use of cryopreserved donor corneal tissues first time in India for therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty during COVID-19 pandemic - A case series

Abstract

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused restricted eye retrieval leading to acute scarcity of donor corneas. Nine patients with perforated corneas needed urgent donor tissues where we used 10 cryopreserved corneal tissues for therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (TPK). Repeat TPK was done in one eye for recurrence of infection. The anatomical integrity of the eyeball was maintained in seven eyes, while two eyes were lost to phthisis. Thus, cryopreserved corneas can be taken into consideration for TPK when other donor tissues are not available.