Cornea Bank
The cornea is
the circular, transparent structure corresponding to the anterior wall of
the eye covering the iris and pupil. The cornea functions as a window that
allows the entry of light into the eye. It is a tissue that requires complete
transparency to permit that images reach the retina with clarity.
Its transparency and privileged immunology (thanks to the fact that it is an avascular tissue) make the cornea a very special tissue.
Cornea transplantation is a surgical procedure in which part (or all) of the damaged cornea is replaced by healthy donated corneal tissue. It is also called keratoplasty. Cornea transplant is one of the safest and most frequently performed human transplant procedures, with an extremely high successful rate.
On a regular basis, any infection or eye inflammation needs to be under control before surgery takes place.
Keratoplasty is carried out when vision in lost in an eye because the cornea has been damaged by disease or traumatic injury. Some of the disease conditions that might require corneal transplant include the inherited corneal thinning (keratoconus) or acquired with visual distortion, inherited or acquired corneal clouding (Fuch's dystrophy) with visual loss because of a malfunction of the inner layer of the cornea, painful swelling of the cornea (pseudophakic bullous keratopathy) and scarring of the cornea due to severe ulcers, infections or injuries.
Besides the cornea, there are other eye tissues, such as sclera and corneoescleral
limbus, that can be used to treat different disorders of the ocular surface.
The sclera is the white, opaque tissue that covers the eyeball, which gives the eye its shape and protection. Among the possible situations that can be treated with sclera, we find necrotic sclerosis, repair of the eyeball, protection from ocular implants, repair of exposed implants, etc.
Cornea-scleral limbus is the region that separates the cornea from the sclera where the limbal stem cells are located. These cells are responsible for the constant renewal of the corneal epithelium, thereby facilitating its reconstruction.
The diseases of the corneal surface that derive from a deficiency of the limbal stem cells, are characterized by persistent epithelial defects, corneal vascularization, chronic inflammation, scarring and conjuctivalization, resulting in the loss of vision. In recent years surgery has fostered the development of limbal transplantation procedures for the treatment of these stem cell deficiencies in order to restore the recipient's vision.
Tipos de Tejido Ocular
These are the ocular tissues than can be obtained from our bank:
- Cornea for Penetrating Keratoplasty (preserved in Optisol-GS® at 4ºC and/or organ-culture in E-MEM medium at 31ºC)
- Eye tissue for Lamellar Keratoplasty (eyeball in moist chamber and/or cornea in Optisol-GS®, both at 4ºC)
- Eye tissue for Keratolimbal Allograft (eyeball in moist chamber and/or cornea in Optisol-GS®, both at 4ºC)
- Sclera (in 70% ethanol at room temperature)
Code |
Description |
Preservation |
| 300001 | Cornea | Optisol-GS a 4ºC |
| 300002 | Cultivated cornea | E-MEM at room Tº |
| 300003 | Eyeball | Moist chamber at 4ºC |
| 300004 | Sclera | Etanol a T º ambiente |
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