Do Corneal Tissue Providers Inform Their Community That They Export Corneas? An Audit of Publicly Available Sector Websites

Heather Machin; Brian Philippy; Graeme A Pollock

doi:10.2147/OPTH.S330468

Do Corneal Tissue Providers Inform Their Community That They Export Corneas? An Audit of Publicly Available Sector Websites

Clin Ophthalmol. 2021 Oct 5:15:4029-4034. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S330468. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Heather Machin^{1

2}, Brian Philippy³, Graeme A Pollock^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Lions Eye Donation Service, Centre for Eye Research Australia, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
² Department of Surgery, Ophthalmology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
³ Distribution Department, Lions Medical Eye Bank and Research Center of East Virginia, Norfolk, VA, USA.

Abstract

Aim: The exportation of corneas from one nation to another, for transplantation services, is responsible for 23% of all global transplants. Global allocation is possible because of the end-of-life donations from citizens and residents of export nations. To date, there is no information indicating if export nation donors are aware that their corneas may be exported, nor if organizations that export provide information regarding their export engagement to their community. To ascertain if and how exporters inform their community, we audited known export organization public websites.

Materials and methods: We designed and conducted a double-blind audit of known exporting eye banks, eye tissue sharing and distributor organization websites.

Results: We audited 79 websites, from 9 nations. Of the 79, 46 (58.2%) did not mention corneal tissue exportation, 17 (21.5%) implied exportation, and 16 (10.2%) explicitly mentioned it. Of the 16 that mentioned they exported, 75% (12/16) provided information regarding their export license, and 12.5% (2/16) indicated partnership with a third party. We could not locate information explaining how organizations decided on how and to whom they export.

Discussion: Organizations that export corneal tissue across national borders do not share sufficient information regarding their export activities on their website. The general public and donors within export nations may not be aware that this practice occurs or could occur with their donation. Export organizations and the eye tissue sector must evaluate their communication strategies and collaborate, preferably nationally, to develop publicly appropriate information regarding corneal tissue exportation.

Keywords: corneal tissue; distributors and brokers; export; eye banks; transparency; website.

Grants and funding

Heather Machin: Postgraduate Scholarship supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) ID: APP1150637.The Centre for Eye Research Australia receives Operational Infrastructure Support from the Victorian government.