Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Sep;31(5):389-395.
doi: 10.1097/ICU.0000000000000684.

Eye banking in the coronavirus disease 2019 era

Dena Ballouz  1 , Shahzad I Mian
Affiliations
Review

Eye banking in the coronavirus disease 2019 era

Dena Ballouz et al. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2020 Sep.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is highly infectious; however, the different routes of transmission are not well understood. Transmission through tissue transplantation is possible and must be considered. This review will evaluate the current literature regarding routes of transmission, the likelihood of transmission through ocular tissue transplantation, and the guidelines in place to mitigate this risk.

Recent findings: Although respiratory droplets have been the primary route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, there is evidence that transmission through blood donation and organ or tissue transplantation is possible. This includes corneal transplantation, as SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in conjunctival swabs of infected patients, and the ocular surface may play an important role in viral entry. Several tissue transplantation organizations have guidelines in place regarding the screening of donors and tissue procurement procedures, including clinical and/or PCR screening of donors. The Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) is currently not recommending asymptomatic PCR screening. However, their antiseptic protocols may play an important role in viral inactivation.

Summary: Based on the current literature and guidelines, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through corneal transplantation is likely low. However, tissue screening guidelines need to be re-evaluated regularly as knowledge regarding the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolves.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Worldometer. Coronavirus update (live): 6332,463 cases and 376,036 deaths from COVID-19 virus pandemic. Available at: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/. [Accessed June 1, 2020].
    1. Lescure FX, Bouadma L, Nguyen D, et al. Clinical and virological data of the first cases of COVID-19 in Europe: a case series. Lancet Infect Dis 2020; 20:697–706.
    1. Chang L, Yan Y, Wang L. Coronavirus disease 2019: coronaviruses and blood safety. Transfus Med Rev 2020; 34:75–80.
    1. Moris D, Shaw BI, Dimitrokallis N, Barbas AS. Organ donation during the coronavirus pandemic: an evolving saga in uncharted waters. Transpl Int 2020; Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/tri.13614. [Epub ahead of print]. - DOI
    1. van Doremalen N, Bushmaker T, Morris DH, et al. Aerosol and surface stability of SARS-CoV-2 as compared with SARS-CoV-1. N Engl J Med 2020; 382:1564–1567.