Racial Disparities in Corneal Transplantation Rates, Complications, and Outcomes

ABSTRACT

Corneal transplantation is a common type of tissue transplantation that aims to improve vision or relieve pain. Given the immune privilege of the cornea, the primary graft often has a high success rate, approaching 90%. Despite the good overall outcome of corneal transplantation in various studies, the individual graft survival rate varies, depending on the preoperative diagnosis and donor and recipient factors. Race and ethnicity have been shown to be important in other types of organ transplantation. The aim of this study was to review the available ophthalmic literature regarding any differences in rates and outcomes of corneal transplantation based on ethnicity and race. A small body of evidence suggests that race might be an important risk factor for graft rejection and graft failure. More robust studies are needed to clarify these associations.

Keywords:

• Corneal transplantation
• disparity
• keratoplasty
• outcomes
• race

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The authors acknowledge Jennifer Grasch for help with proofreading.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.