title: Corneal preservation: past, present, and future.
abstract: In the past 15 years, techniques of corneal preservation have progressed from the storage of whole eyes in moist chambers for 24 hours at 4 degrees C to the preservation of isolated corneas for 1 week at 4 degrees C and for 1 month at 34 degrees C. Both of the latter techniques display a time-dependent deterioration of corneal tissue during storage. This deterioration has forced a reappraisal of corneal cryopreservation as a method for permanent corneal storage. Future advances will involve: decreasing this time-dependent deterioration by improving current techniques of 4 degrees C storage, and eliminating the deterioration by cryopreservation with a process called vitrification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic and Foundation, Rochester, MN 55905.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Bourne
mesh_terms: D002452:Cell Count; D003315:Cornea; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000378:metabolism; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D009926:Organ Preservation / Q000639:trends*