Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 12, 2026
A Simplified Technique for In situ Excision of Cornea and Evisceration of Retinal Tissue from Human Ocular Globe
Published on: June 12, 2012
Standard terminology and labeling of ocular tissue for transplantation
W John Armitage1, Paul Ashford, Barbara Crow
1School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Purpose:
To develop an internationally agreed terminology for describing ocular tissue grafts to improve the accuracy and reliability of information transfer, to enhance tissue traceability, and to facilitate the gathering of comparative global activity data, including denominator data for use in biovigilance analyses.
Methods:
ICCBBA, the international standards organization for terminology, coding, and labeling of blood, cells, and tissues, approached the major Eye Bank Associations to form an expert advisory group. The group met by regular conference calls to develop a standard terminology, which was released for public consultation and amended accordingly.
Results:
The terminology uses broad definitions (Classes) with modifying characteristics (Attributes) to define each ocular tissue product. The terminology may be used within the ISBT 128 system to label tissue products with standardized bar codes enabling the electronic capture of critical data in the collection, processing, and distribution of tissues. Guidance on coding and labeling has also been developed.
Conclusions:
The development of a standard terminology for ocular tissue marks an important step for improving traceability and reducing the risk of mistakes due to transcription errors. ISBT 128 computer codes have been assigned and may now be used to label ocular tissues. Eye banks are encouraged to adopt this standard terminology and move toward full implementation of ISBT 128 nomenclature, coding, and labeling.
