The Singapore Eye Bank (SEB) and the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) will be launching an initiative encompassing a series of interlinked Asia eye-banking programs to enable SEB and other Asian eye banks to collectively enhance corneal donation and eye-banking processes, enabling higher rates of corneal donation, better medical eye-banking standards, and more corneal transplants in Asia to help alleviate corneal blindness in the region. These new programmes include:

1) Official Opening of Phase 2 Expansion of Singapore Eye Bank (SEB), and Lee Kong Chian Centre of Excellence for Cornea, Eye Banking and Eye Diseases (EXCEED)

This programme aims to amplify the infrastructure and manpower of SEB to a level which enables expansion and full utilization of potential donors within SEB’s hospital eye donation programs, so as to achieve a 100% local donation rate for corneal transplants performed in Singapore.

Another objective, EXCEED, is to develop it as a centre of excellence for training, education and research in eyebanking, corneal diseases and transplantation.

2) Collaboration Between SEB and Sri Lanka’s national eye hospital and proposed new eye bank

A collaborative initiative involving the SNEC, SEB, the Colombo Eye Hospital (national eye hospital of Sri Lanka) and the proposed national eye bank of Sri Lanka. Sanctioned by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Health, this programme will be led by SEB.

The aim is to develop a new national eye bank facility sited within Colombo Eye Hospital and the based on the successful hospital based programme of the SNEC-SEB collaboration which is internationally recognized and recommended by renowned corneal surgeons.

Sri Lanka, where the large majority are Buddhists, was previously a major provider of corneas throughout Asia. SEB aims to attain international eye banking standards for the new eye bank, and restore Sri Lanka as the major provider of corneas throughout Asian countries. 

3) Establishment of the Association of Eye Banks of Asia (AEBA)

This aims to form a supranational network cooperative of Asian eye banks, coordinated in Singapore, to enhance corneal donation and establish shared corneal tissue programs between Asian countries.

These initiatives to alleviate corneal blindness in Asia and in Singapore are funded by a generous grant from the Lee Foundation and Temasek Foundation.

Singapore is now leading the development of the corneal ophthalmic subspecialty in Asia, thus contributing significantly to the alleviation of corneal blindness. This is achieved through pioneering new forms of corneal transplantation and the development of a world-class facility in order to meet the evolving demands of the procedure and by taking on the leadership role among national corneal societies and eye banks in the region. 

Press Release by Singapore Eye Bank

Media Contact : Ravi Chandran
Tel         : 63228394
E-mail    : ravi.chandran@snec.com.sg