• Nationwide corneal donation hospital teams and donors in Taiwan

• Nationwide corneal transplantation hospital teams and recipients in Taiwan

Since its establishment in 2013, the Taiwan National Eye Bank has focused on increasing corneal donation rates and improving tissue preservation quality through a nationwide standardized operating framework covering donor evaluation, tissue retrieval, preservation, and endothelial grading. The eye bank has obtained SightLife international accreditation and actively participates in EBAA professional exchange, aligning its practices with international standards.

To meet local clinical and public health needs, conditional screening and risk-stratified management were implemented for donors with bacteremia and hepatitis B, supported by extended preservation, cryopreservation, and an integrated information system to enhance traceability and risk control. These measures have increased corneal utilization while maintaining tissue safety. Continuous research output has further positioned the Taiwan National Eye Bank as a sustainable and demonstrative national model with growing international training potential.

• Established a nationwide Taiwan National Eye Bank standardized operating framework, covering donor evaluation, tissue retrieval, preservation, and endothelial grading to ensure consistent corneal quality.

• Implemented risk-stratified microbiological screening criteria, enabling safe utilization of corneal tissues from selected bacteremic donors under controlled conditions.

• Introduced a hepatitis B serology-matched corneal allocation strategy, optimizing safe use of HBV-positive corneas for recipients with HBV infection or confirmed immunity.

• Developed a cryopreserved corneal tissue preservation protocol, extending tissue availability and supporting timely emergency therapeutic keratoplasty to preserve globe integrity.

• Quality assurance performed for over 5,600 domestically donated corneas

• Cryopreservation with extended storage rescued 70 patients

• Achieved an over 87% increase in domestic corneal donation volume within a 10-year period, significantly strengthening the national supply of donor corneal tissue.

• Established an efficient tissue evaluation and allocation system, resulting in a 98% utilization rate of domestically donated corneas.

• Through improved domestic donation and utilization efficiency, reduced reliance on imported corneas for keratoplasty from 60% to 25% nationwide.

Established a nationwide Taiwan National Eye Bank Standard Operating Framework, with no donor-related postoperative endophthalmitis reported to date, demonstrating the effectiveness of eye bank quality and safety management.

• Corneal surgeons’ satisfaction: 99%

• Service quality recognized nationwide

• Accredited by international eye bank organizations

• Hosted international eye bank training programs to strengthen global exchange

• EBAA-cited research informed policy review on bacteremic donors

• HBV serology-matching evidence influenced international clinical guidelines

• Applied the Taiwan National Eye Bank’s research and high-utilization experience to eye banks in countries with surplus corneal supply, increasing tissue utilization while maintaining safety.

• Provided a replicable operational model for countries with limited corneal resources, promoting cross-border resource sharing and global health equity.

• Established a quality-, safety-, and efficiency–balanced eye-banking model, improving corneal transplantation standards domestically and internationally.

• Strengthened long-term sustainability of eye-banking systems by reducing waste and optimizing tissue use.