A global study of corneal transplant and eye banking activities has found the supply-demand gap “remains severe, and inequity has not narrowed” over a 10-year period.
The cross-sectional study examined 2022 data from 122 countries, representing 89.5% of the world population, and compared the findings with 2012.1
It identified that in 2022 there were 214,299 corneal transplants – a 16.1% increase from 184,576 in 2012.
There were 312,349 corneal procurements from 70 countries in 2022, “a 10.2% increase outpaced by approximately 12% population growth, yielding a declining per capita procurement rate”.
Coordinated investment in eye banking infrastructure in middle-income countries is needed alongside alternative therapies
Median corneal transplant rates ranged from 43.1 per million population in high-income countries to 0.4 per million population in low-income countries.
Study authors said corneal transplants are the “most frequent type of tissue transplant worldwide”.
“Global corneal transplant volume increased, but inequity in access did not narrow from 2012 to 2022; the highest-leverage gap was incomplete eye banking infrastructure in middle-income countries where surgical activity exists but domestic procurement systems remain insufficient.
“Coordinated investment in eye banking infrastructure in middle-income countries is needed alongside alternative therapies,” study authors wrote.
Reference
- Dorado Cortez O, Thuret G, et al. Ten-year update of a global survey of corneal transplant and eye banking. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online September 24, 2026. doi: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2026.4147.
