An eye bank retrieves donor corneas and stores them in McCarey-Kaufman medium. Up to what duration can corneas stored in this medium be used for penetrating keratoplasty?

• A Up to 24 hours at room temperature
• B Up to 14 days at 4 degrees Celsius
• C Up to 96 hours (about 4 days) at 4 degrees Celsius ✓
• D Up to 35 days in organ culture at 34 degrees Celsius

Explanation

McCarey-Kaufman medium preserves corneal endothelial viability for about 4 days at 4 degrees Celsius and is the most widely used short term storage medium in Indian eye banks. Optisol extends storage to about 14 days, killing distractor B, while organ culture allows roughly 35 days, killing distractor D. Knowing these durations matters for counselling patients on how far a donor cornea can be transported.

Reference: Khurana Comprehensive Ophthalmology, 7th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.