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Nov 2008
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Vision - Ophthalmology
Older Corneas Transplant Well
While there seems to be an adequate supply of corneas (the transparent covering at the front of the eye) for transplantation, there is some concern that there may be a future shortage. With this in mind, researchers set out to see if there was an age limit beyond which corneas should not be accepted from older donors. Generally speaking, when it comes to most types of implants, younger tissue is preferable to older.
However, researchers found that corneas from donors as old as 75 years can perform just as well as younger tissue. While other factors have a bearing on the selection of corneas for transplantation, this new study shows that age is not necessarily a limiting factor.
Note - to be candidates for transplantation, corneas must come from donors who are in good health and free of various infections.