Donor and corneal tissue characteristics at an eye bank in Medellín, Colombia: a cross-sectional study

Corneal opacity remains an important cause of visual impairment worldwide, and keratoplasty is a key treatment for several corneal conditions. The persistent disparity between clinical demand and donor tissue availability underscores the importance of eye banking in ensuring appropriate tissue evaluation, preservation, and allocation. This study aimed to characterize donor corneal tissue (DCT) demographics, procurement logistics, tissue quality parameters, and surgical utilization at a regional eye bank in Medellín, Colombia, during 2025. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using DCT records from an eye bank in Medellín, Colombia, between January 1 and December 31, 2025. Evaluated variables included donor sociodemographic characteristics, procurement logistics, slit-lamp biomicroscopic findings, specular microscopy parameters, and surgical utilization. A total of 274 DCT records were evaluated, of which 23 (8.4%) were discarded and not used for transplantation. Reactive serological results accounted for 18 discarded DCTs (syphilis, n = 16; human immunodeficiency virus, n = 2), while 5 were excluded for non-serological structural or tissue-quality findings (corneal foreign bodies, n = 2; numerous Descemet membrane folds, n = 2; poor intraoperative tissue quality, n = 1). Among the 256 seronegative DCTs undergoing secondary evaluation, the median donor age was 41.5 years (IQR, 26.0–55.3). Specular microscopy showed a median endothelial cell density (ECD) of 3155 cells/mm 2 (IQR, 2994–3413), coefficient of variation (CV) of 41% (IQR, 38–44%), and hexagonality (HEX) of 48% (IQR, 45–53%). The median death-to-tissue procurement time was 8.0 h (IQR, 3.0–12.0) across all procurement modalities. Among isolated corneoscleral button procurements, the median death-to-preservation time was 9.0 h (IQR, 3.0–12.0). Of the 251 DCTs successfully transplanted, penetrating keratoplasty (PK) was the most frequent surgical approach (77.2%), followed by deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK; 12.7%), Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK; 3.1%), and Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK; 3.1%). DCTs evaluated at a regional eye bank in Medellín were characterized by a relatively young donor population, a median endothelial cell density of 3155 cells/mm 2 , and procurement and preservation intervals within accepted timeframes. PK was the predominant surgical approach among transplanted tissues. Despite the limitations inherent to retrospective secondary data collection, these findings provide baseline evidence on donor tissue characteristics, procurement processes, and surgical utilization and may serve as a reference for future eye banking studies in Colombia and Latin America.