Ready-to-use electron beam (e-beam) irradiated corneas and sclera with a two-year shelf life are now available in New Zealand.
"Tissue sterility, extended shelf-life and greater availability make e-beam irradiated corneas, such as Lions VisionGift's halo grafts, an ideal alternative to fresh corneal tissue for numerous ophthalmic applications when a viable endothelium is not required,” Dr Khoa Tran, vice president of research and development at Lions VisionGift (LVG) told Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today.
Spurred on by limited long-term storage options such as glycerol and alcohol preservation, LVG developed the e-beam irradiation method, which uses high-energy electrons to preserve corneal tissue and thus maximise the availability of tissue medically available and suitable for transplantation. The range, marketed by the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research’s OptiGraft tissue bank service, supports a wide variety of surgical applications, including sterile patch grafts for glaucoma and sterile corneas for keratoplasty. The allografts can be stored for up to two years at room temperature and are ready for use straight from the sterile packaging, unlike grafts preserved in glycerine or alcohol, which require reconstitution, explained Dr Tran.
“We jumped at the chance to bring the OptiGraft range to New Zealand,” said local distributor Camille Furnandiz, sales manager at Medix21 Surgical. “The lack of available corneas for transplant is a real issue, so bringing this product range to our market means there are more options for non-endothelial corneal graft patients to get treated. The ability to have pre-cut sterile corneas and sclera sitting on the shelf in the hospital for scheduled and emergency procedures provides convenience, elimination of storage issues, time and cost savings.”
The Lions Institute’s ideal is that all donated tissue is used for transplant, honouring and maximising the donor’s gift, said Furnandiz. “We are proud to be part of that mantra and appreciate the opportunity we have to bring these donor tissue products to New Zealand.”
