Modern eye banking

Ophthalmology has accepted the primary responsibility for supervision and control of the medical aspect of eye banking. Operating within the framework of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Eye Bank Association of America, Medical Standards have been promulgated which recognize the need for standardization and quality control throughout the eye banking procedures. The role of the Medical Director and the Medical Standards Committee has been strengthened. Challenges to be met include increasing the supply of donor tissue, the development of a statistical data base, research to expand endothelial viability, the incorporation of new technology, and the necessity to develop resources to combat an increasingly hostile financial and political environment in our nation's hospitals.