Summary

The KKESH Eye Bank provides donors` tissues for Saudi and non-Saudi patients who are candidates for corneal transplant, epikeratoplasty, scleral graft, and amniotic membrane transplantation surgeries at KKESH and other eye care facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Scope

The Eye Bank is committed to provide corneas and other tissues on behalf of the citizens of Saudi Arabia. Corneas are either imported or retrieved from local donors. All donors are screened and tissues are evaluated in accordance with our strict medical standards, as well as with the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) medical standards. Retrieval of local corneas and evaluation of imported corneas are performed by Eye Bank specialists, all of whom are certified by the EBAA. The Eye Bank promotes local donation through donors` cards, brochures, news releases, articles, and educational programs. Based on the recommendations put forth in the policies and procedures of King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital and in the medical standards of the EBAA. The Eye Bank standards have been developed to ensure consistently an acceptable level of quality, proficiency, and ethics in dealing with patients, as well as eye tissues and other tissues for transplantation, and to define the standards of practice in the procurement, preservation, storage, and distribution of these tissue for transplantation and research. The Eye Bank works closely with the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation ( SCOT), the EBAA, Tissue Banks International, the International Federation of Eye Banks, Vision Share ,and European Eye Banks.

Services/Functions

The services/functions of the Eye Bank are as follows:

• Receive corneas, eye globes, scleras, bio lenses, amniotic membranes, and preservation media from international eye banks and local donors.
• Evaluate received tissues for suitability for transplantation in accordance with our medical standards and those of the EBAA.
• Culture donor` tissues and their media;
• Coordinate corneal transplant patient waitlist, including surgical admissions and scheduling.
• Promote local donor acquisition program, including provision of training programs for corneal tissue retrieval in collaboration with the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation.