Additionally, the study, which was published in the journal Ophthalmology, reported that corneas from donors over age 72 remain healthy after 10 years, although they performed slightly less well than corneas from donors 34-71 years old.
Dr. Jonathan Lass, Professor of Ophthalmology at Case Western Reserve University said the results are encouraging and serve to help change the perceptions of both physicians and patients about using corneas
from older donors in transplants. He said some doctors are reluctant to accept corneas from donors over 65.
The study found that 10-year success rates remained steady (75 per cent) for corneal transplants from donors 34-71 years old. In the United States, three-fourths of cornea donors fall in that range. One-third of all cornea donors are between 61-70 years old.
Success rates were slightly higher for donors under 34, and somewhat lower for donors over 71, the study showed.