Characteristics of corneal donors from local procurement at Lions Eye Bank Jakarta: an eight-year report.

PURPOSE: To present corneal donor demographics obtained from local procurement at Lions Eye Bank Jakarta in Indonesia.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective study was conducted from March 2018 to February 2026. Donor characteristics were collected. Corneal tissue grading, based on endothelial cell density (ECD), was performed using the EBAA standard.

RESULTS

A total of 47 donors (93 corneal tissues) were included in the final analysis, with mean age of 64.60 years (SD 19.83; range 10-100). The majority age group was >65 years (25, 53.2%), with the male predominance (24, 51.1%). Cardiac arrest (13, 27.7%) was the leading cause of death. Most procurements were performed at funeral homes (32, 68.1%). Grade A (84, 90.3%) corneal tissues dominated our cohort, with a mean ECD of 2,270.03 cells/mm2 (SD 308.36; range 1,418-2,985). Penetrating keratoplasty (39, 41.5%) and DSAEK (33, 35.1%) were the most common surgeries, with a mean preservation-to-surgery time of 9.25 days (SD 2.8; range 1-14). Using multivariable binary logistic regression, no significant associations were observed between donor age, gender, and preservation solution and ECD grade or utilization. Only procurement time predicted ECD grade (OR 0.999; 95% CI 0.998 to 1.000; P = 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS

Male, older age, and cardiac arrest were the most common donor profiles. Grade A corneal tissues predominated, and penetrating keratoplasty was the most common procedure. Donor age, gender, and preservation solution were not associated with ECD grade or corneal utilization; only procurement time was. Longer procurement time after death was associated with lower odds of obtaining Grade A corneal tissue.