Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Corneal Transplantation and Cornea Procurement

In this study, we aimed to analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in its first year on corneal transplant outcomes performed at a tertiary eye care center in Turkey.

Clinical records of patients who underwent corneal transplant between March 2020 and February 2021 (group A) at the Baskent University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, were analyzed retrospectively. Patient demographics, indications for transplant, type of transplant procedure (lamellar vs penetrating), follow-up duration, and postoperative complications were recorded. The same data were collected for cornea transplant patients who were seen the previous year, between March 2019 and February 2020 (group B). Data from the 2 groups were compared. In related samples, the Wilcoxon signed rank test was used for statistical analysis, and a P value < .05 was considered statistically significant.

Six corneal transplants were performed between March 2020 and February 2021 (group A), and 48 corneal transplantations were performed in the previous year (group B). There was an 80% decline in total corneal transplant numbers when compared with the previous year, and lamellar surgeries were not performed at all during the first year of the pandemic. Indications during the pandemic were mainly urgent and limited to tectonic or therapeutic causes. Postoperative follow-up regimens were impaired, and the complication rate was significantly higher during the pandemic period compared with the previous year (67% in group A vs 16% in group B) (P < .001).

There was a steep decline in transplants in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. The prominent increase in complication rates can be attributed to the late diagnosis of corneal rejections due to impaired postoperative follow-up regimens.