2026 Cornea and Eye Banking Forum

The Cornea and Eye Banking Forum, hosted by the Eye Bank Association of America and the Cornea Society, was held and recorded on Friday, October 9, 2026. The program, available on-demand, features the latest scientific and research developments in cornea and eye banking, while also highlighting the innovations that are on the horizon.

The online program features:

• Presentation of 23 Scientific Abstracts followed by dynamic Q&A sessions
• Invited Session: Transforming Corneal Care: Emerging Surgical Innovations
• Invited Session: 2026 EBAA Update
• Cornea Fellow Surgical and Clinical Case Presentations
• The R. Townley Paton Award Lecture: Everything is Cornea: The Cost and Benefits of Global Corneal Health
• The Troutman Cornea Prize Lecture

Access and Registration:

• Purchase: The program is available for purchase.
• Forum Registrants: All individuals who registered for the in-person Cornea and Eye Banking Forum receive complimentary access to the online program. To access the on-demand recording package, log into eyeLEARN with the email and password you used to register for the meeting.  Contact Lindsey Sullivan with any questions.

Access the on-demand program today!

SESSION INFORMATION

The presentations are grouped by Section. The following presentations are included in the package.

Session I - 2 CEUs
Welcome and Introductions
Jessica Ciralsky, MD, and Joann Kang, MD
Deepinder Dhaliwal, MD, L.Ac., and Win Chamberlain, MD, PhD

Refractive and Topographic Outcomes of Corneal Tissue Addition Keratoplasty (CTAK)
Michael Cheng, The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine

Eye Bank Preloaded Endothelium-In DMEK in Complex Eyes: A Multicenter Comparison of Surgical Efficiency and Clinical Outcomes
Ansu Ann John, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

PDEK-S: The Thinnest DSAEK, Preparation Technique
Mark Soper, BS, CEBT, Lions Eye Bank of the Northeast

Method for Ultrathin DSAEK Graft Implantation Without Pull-Through Technique With Incision Under 3.0 Millimeters
Simone Arndt, MSc, TissueGUARD GmbH

Middle Segment Surgery: Pars Plana Assisted Endothelial Keratoplasty in the Unicameral Eye
Sadeer B. Hannush, MD, Wills Eye Hospital / AltruVision Eye Bank

DMEK Without Anesthesia Support: Safety, Efficiency, and Patient Experience
Kevin Schneider, MD, University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Invited Session: Transforming Corneal Care
Emerging Surgical Innovations
Joe Tauber, MD, Saving Sight
Soosan Jacob, MD, Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital
Ellen Koo, MD, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

Claes Dohlman Award
Presentation

Recipient: Alan Sugar, MD
Presented by Shahzad Mian, MD

Session II - 1 CEU
Welcome Back
Jessica Ciralsky, MD, and Joann Kang, MD

EBAA High Impact Research Grant Announcement
Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Insulin Supplementation of Storage Media Enhances Survival of Diabetic Donor Corneal Grafts
Shweta Sandhu, MD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School

Clinical Outcomes Following DMEK Using Donor Corneas Stored in Optisol-GS Versus XTRA4
Kayne McCarthy, MD, MPH, Devers Eye Institute

Effect of Strict Sepsis/SIRS Donor-Eligibility Criteria on the U.S. Corneal Donor Supply
Haley Evans, BS, Wills Eye Hospital

DEKS ACD Ancillary Study: Tech Estimates & Automated Software for Analyzing Area of Cell Damage
Peter Bedard, MS, CEBT, Lions Gift of Sight

Trends and Determinants of Corneal Tissue Utilization and Discard: 14 Years of Data from United States Eye Banks
Henry Bair, MD, Wills Eye Hospital

Development and Evaluation of Indigenous Bioengineered Corneal Implant Derived from Donor Corneas Unsuitable for Transplantation
Radhika Tandon, MD, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS Delhi

Paton Lecture - .5 CEU

R. Townley Paton Award Introduction
Marianne Price, PhD, MBA, 2025 R. Townley Paton Award Recipient

R. Townley Paton Award Lecture:
Everything is Cornea: The Cost and Benefits of Global Corneal Health
Win Chamberlain, MD, PhD, VisionGift

Session III - 1.75 CEUs
EBAA Update
Kevin Corcoran, CAE, Eye Bank Association of America

Phase 3 Trials of Ripasudil in Patients with Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy Undergoing Descemet Stripping Only
Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Tear MicroRNA Diagnostics for Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia: Updated Diagnostic Performance and Clinical Translation
Zishuai Chou, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and Brown University

Peripheral DNA Correlates with Corneal TCF4 Repeat Expansion in FECD
Marianne Price, PhD, MBA, Cornea Research Foundation of America

The Effect of SLC4A11 Mutation on the Outcomes of Keratoplasty in Congenital Hereditary Endothelial Dystrophy
Rhea Wason, MBBS, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS New Delhi, India

Novel Ultra High-Resolution Corneal OCT Imaging Yields Clinically Relevant Biomarkers in Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy
Sachi Patil, MD, University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Real-Time Ultra-Widefield Mosaics of the Corneal Endothelium from Contact Specular Microscopy Video
Ved Shivade, MS, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Nrf2 Gene Therapy Promotes Corneal Endothelial Cell Survival and Function in Fuchs Dystrophy
Ula V. Jurkunas, MD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear / Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School

Troutman Prize Award Introduction
Deepinder Dhaliwal, MD, L.Ac., and Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD

Richard Troutman Prize Lecture:
Efficacy of the Rho-Kinase (ROCK) Inhibitor for Corneal Endothelial Protection in Fuchs’ Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy after Phacoemulsification
Benjama Keeratidamkerngsakul, MD, Mettapracharak Hospital

Session IV - 1.5 CEUs
Welcome Back
Jessica Ciralsky, MD, and Joann Kang, MD

Artificial Intelligence-Based Automated Guttae Density Scoring in Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy
Sujin Kang, MD, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

IK-FOUND with OCUTRACE: A Multiclass Foundation AI System for Diagnosis, Prognostic Stratification, and Treatment Outcome Prediction in Infectious Keratitis
Mohammad Soleimani, UNC Chapel Hill

Beyond Xerophthalmia: Non-Xerotic Corneal Disease Associated With Adult Vitamin A Deficiency
Mohammad H. Dastjerdi, NYU Langone Health

Efficacy of Topical Losartan Potassium for Treatment of Recent Infectious Keratitis-Induced Corneal Scars
Isabela Yang, MD, University of South Florida Department of Ophthalmology

Cornea Fellow Case Studies Panel
Presenters:
Jenna Andre, MD, Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport
Andrew Thomson, MD, University of Missouri Mason Eye Institute
Daniel Henick, MD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Yanhan Ren, MD, USC Keck School of Medicine, Roski Eye Institute
Junru Yan, MD, UC Irvine Gavin Herbert Eye Institute

Best Paper Presentation
Win Chamberlain, MD, PhD, and Deepinder Dhaliwal, MD, L.Ac.
Supported by Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio

Closing Remarks Jessica Ciralsky, MD, and Joann Kang, MD

CEBS/CEBTS

Eye Bank Association of America approves this activity for a maximum of 6.75 CEUs. CEUs are available for each section and the Paton Lecture. You must watch at least 90% of the presentation and then complete the Section Survey to receive the credits for the section. 

OBJECTIVES

After attending this program you should be able to:

1. Learn new developments, techniques, and therapies in sight restoration.

2. Analyze the efficacy of emerging technologies and innovative processes in corneal transplantation and eye banking that can improve patient outcomes.

3. Cite new research findings in cornea regarding disease, treatment, transplantation, preservation, preparation and processing.

FINANCIAL INTEREST DISCLOSURES

To view the table of disclosure information, please click here.

Please note - CME is not available for the recording of this session. If you attended the meeting in person and have not yet completed your CME evaluation, please contact Lindsey Sullivan.

SUPPORT
Thank you to the following companies for their generous support. 

R. TOWNLEY PATON LUNCHEON
Gunther Weiss Scientific Glassblowing Co., Inc.

WELCOME BREAKFAST
Bausch + Lomb

MEETING LANYARD
Lions Eye Bank of the Northeast

BEST PAPER OF SESSION AWARD
Lions Eye Bank of West Central Ohio

NETWORKING RECEPTION
Moria
Kerify

GENERAL SUPPORT
Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank

ACCESS
The 2026 Cornea and Eye Banking Forum is available on-demand and available for purchase. Individuals who registered for the Cornea and Eye Banking Forum receive complimentary access.

PURCHASE INFORMATION
The program is available for purchase for $225 for members and $425 for nonmembers.

To purchase the package, click on the register button. Log in with the email and password you use to log into the EBAA website. If you have not yet created an account on the EBAA website, you will be prompted to do so. Once you are logged in you will be able to purchase the package. Once purchased, you can access the program through your Dashboard.

FORUM ATTENDEES
All individuals who registered for and attended the Cornea and Eye Banking Forum have complimentary access to the on-demand package. To access the online presentations, log into eyeLEARN with the email and password you used to register for the meeting. Once you have logged in, you can access the program through your dashboard.

QUESTIONS?
Contact Lindsey Sullivan with any questions.