Chu W, Dahl P, O'Neill M J
Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, Inc., New York, NY 10021, USA.
Cornea. 1995 Nov;14(6):568-70, 634.
In the United States of America and worldwide, supplies of quality donor corneas continue to lag behind the demand. Some of what appears to be a shortage in the U.S.A. is really due to the custom of many surgeons to use only tissue from younger donors, thus creating an unnecessary waiting list. In reality, we do have a sizable pool of good donors in the older age group. With improved evaluation techniques, it is possible to identify these donors and to add their tissue to the supply of available corneas. This study shows that large numbers of corneas from donors over the age of 65 can be used successfully to restore vision. Specular microscopy provides valuable quantitative data to the surgeon, who ultimately makes the decision about the suitability of the donor tissue. For an eye bank, specular microscopy makes it easier to place older tissue, resulting in shorter waiting lists.
在美国及全球范围内，优质供体角膜的供应持续落后于需求。美国看似存在的部分短缺情况，实际上是由于许多外科医生仅使用年轻供体组织的习惯所致，从而造成了不必要的等待名单。实际上，我们在老年人群体中有相当数量的优质供体。随着评估技术的改进，有可能识别出这些供体，并将他们的组织纳入可用角膜的供应中。这项研究表明，大量65岁以上供体的角膜能够成功用于恢复视力。镜面显微镜检查为外科医生提供了有价值的定量数据，最终由外科医生决定供体组织是否合适。对于眼库而言，镜面显微镜检查便于安置老年组织，从而缩短等待名单。
