Eye Care In For Big Leap With Cornea Transport Via Drones: ICMR

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has in a pilot study demonstrated the potential of aerial transport of human corneas via drones to revolutionise eye care in the country, especially in rural areas, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday. The pioneering study assessed the potential of using drones to transport sensitive ophthalmic biomaterials such as human corneas and amniotic membrane grafts from peripheral collection centres to tertiary hospitals for transplantation procedures, in Sonipat and Jhajjar, Haryana.

“The drone successfully transported corneal tissue from Dr. Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital (Sonipat centre) to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), AIIMS Jhajjar, and subsequently to AIIMS New Delhi,” the Ministry said. “The distance between the two cities was covered in around 40 minutes via drones which usually takes around 2-2.5 hours to cover via road. The drone maintained optimal conditions for specimen integrity and upon arrival, the cornea was evaluated, leading to a successful transplant surgery,” it added. The pilot carried out as part of the ICMR’s i-DRONE initiative -- originally conceived during the Covid-19 pandemic to deliver vaccines to remote regions -- was launched in collaboration with AIIMS New Delhi and Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital and with the support from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.