Corneal Donation And Transplants In Andalusia. A Decade Of Continuous Improvement.

To show donation data, number of keratoplasties and the changes in transplant indications and techniques that occurred in Andalusia (Spain) in the period from 2013 to 2022.

Eye Banks and corneal referral Ophthalmology departments of Andalusia (Spain)

The present work is a retrospective and descriptive study that included all keratoplasties performed between January 2013 and December 2022 in Andalusia, as well as the evolution of the cornea donation and transplant activity.

Cornea donation activity in Andalusia in the decade 2013-2022 has experienced a growth of more than 126%, while overall transplant activity has increased by 157% in public hospitals. Penetrating keratoplasty has decreased from 83% in 2013 to 43% in 2022, while lamellar techniques have increased from 17% to 57% in this same period. Since 2018, more lamellar transplants are performed than penetrating transplants. Regarding indications, endothelial conditions already represent the first cause of transplantation. In 2022 alone, the Andalusian Eye Banks evaluated 1,054 corneas and prepared 281 endothelial grafts.

In the decade from 2013 to 2022 in Andalusia there has been an increase in donation activity and the number of keratoplasties. The Eye Banks implementation in this period has played a key role in the widespread adoption of lamellar keratoplasty techniques and has enabled the transition to perform a greater number of lamellar keratoplasties compared to penetrating keratoplasty.