THE AUSTRALIAN CORNEAL GRAFT REGISTRY (ACGR)

The value of a register of corneal grafts is that it can provide new data about the long-term outcome of corneal transplantation and may allow a more reasoned distribution of scarce donor corneas. The large numbers of cases and events can accommodate wide variations in practice patterns without losing statistical power. The Australian Corneal Graft Register follows over 6000 cases; univariate and multivariate analyses are performed every two years. Amongst the interesting recent findings of the analyses are that a past history of elevated intraocular pressure and early graft suture removal are associated with graft failure, as are the more well-established factors of inflammation, neovascularization, formation of synechiae and recurrence of herpetic eye disease. Donor corneas harvested from relatively elderly donors, however, do not appear to be associated with graft failure. Best-corrected visual acuity achieved post-operatively is very variable, but depends to some extent on the original indication for graft.