A review of methods for storage of corneas for keratoplasty.

ABSTRACT

This article reviews the various methods used for the storage of the donor cornea for keratoplasty. The methods have been classified in terms of the duration of storage as (a) short-term (b) intermediate term (c) long-term and (d) very long-term. The practical importance of the moist-chamber method of short-term storage has been discussed. A short report on a new intermediate-term corneal storage medium using steroid as a lysosome membrane stabilizer has also been included. Organ culture of corneas for long-term storage is not popular in the developing countries due to lack of appropriate storage facilities. Cryopreservation as a long-term storage technique still attracts researchers' attention.