For someone with a damaged cornea, a corneal transplant is often their last hope of restoring vision. This sight-saving operation is only possible because someone chose to donate their cornea after their death.
About Us
The New Zealand National Eye Bank is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the prevention of blindness through the provision of donated corneal and other tissues.
Since 1991 the Eye Bank has supplied over 7000 corneas to New Zealanders, from a facility based in The University of Auckland's Grafton campus.
Currently around 300 people require a corneal transplant each year - from the young to the elderly - due to disorders where the cornea becomes cloudy, scarred, infected, or distorted in shape.
Unlike with modern artificial lenses, there is no artificial cornea, so a viable cornea from a recently deceased person is the only option. Without a transplant, many of these people would become blind or severely vision impaired.
Tissues collected, stored, and distributed throughout New Zealand include:
- Donated eyes that provide corneas for sight restoration, where the cloudy or diseased recipient cornea is replaced by a clear, healthy donor cornea.
- Sclera (the tough white part of the eye) that can be used for reconstructive surgery following trauma or tumour removal.
- Amniotic membrane derived from the newborn placenta, that can be used as a ‘living bandage’ for ocular surface disorders following infection, injury, or disease processes.
Collected and distributed by the NZ Eye Bank
1991-2020
Donors
Corneas transplanted
Sclera transplanted
Information
Donors and families
Give someone the precious gift of sight or help with important medical research.
Transplant recipients
A guide to corneal transplant surgery, from preparation to recovery.
Corneal disease
Diseases of the cornea prevent or distort the light passing through.
Affiliates
The New Zealand Eye Bank is closely affiliated with several different organisations:
New Zealand National Eye Bank Trust
Contact
Phone:
Post:
Department of Ophthalmology
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
The University of
Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland 1142
New Zealand