Letter from the Editor

Authors

Ellen Heck
Co-Editor in Chief

Abstract

Cost Savings of Appropriate Screening of Potential Donors
Although a certain amount of recovered donated ocular tissue will, for one reason or another, ultimately be determined to be unsuitable for transplantation, minimizing this loss is important for many reasons. In the present day, the number of exclusions for risk of communicable diseases has been increasing. Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis and HIV have been joined by West Nile, COVID 19, and Zika. The loss of transplantable tissue can lead to the possible delay of a surgery and a patient’s expectation for improved vision, disappointment for the donor family; such losses also represent a financial burden to the eye bank. While most eye banks would consider the financial loss as the least important factor in their mission to restore sight, it is nevertheless a necessary consideration for the delivery of corneal tissues for transplantation, teaching, and research.