Health
Outdated HIV prevention rules hinder cornea donations, advocacy group says : NPR
A Colorado doctor is co-leading a campaign to lift restrictions on corneal donations from gay men, a move advocates say is being driven by outdated HIV prevention policies that prevent hundreds of corneal donations each year.
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
It took years of lobbying to get the Food and Drug Administration to lift restrictions on blood donations from gay men that were put in place to prevent HIV infection. The FDA lifted the restrictions last year, but they still don't allow gay men to donate corneas for the same reasons. One Colorado doctor is working to change that, reports Colorado Public Radio's Elaine Tussey.
ELAINE TUSSEY: The doctor fighting to change the FDA's policy is Michael Puente, a pediatric eye surgeon who says there's a huge need. He cites a 2021 study that found that for every cornea currently available, there are 70 people who need a transplant.
MICHAEL PUENTE: So if the FDA would allow HIV-negative gay men to donate their corneas, we could cure about 3,000 people of blindness every year.
TASSY: The FDA ban is based on a 30-year-old paper from the CDC that noted the remote possibility that the HIV virus could be transmitted to a recipient through corneal tissue.
Puente: The policy banning gay men from donating corneas has not changed since May 1994 and made little sense back then. It's absurd that in 2024 such a policy still exists with no scientific basis.
TASSY: In a statement, the FDA said it regularly reviews donor screening and testing and that it's a data-driven process. It said the absolute risk of HIV transmission from corneal surgery appears to be low, but there is still a relative risk. Dr. Puente has become an activist as a member of Legalize Gay Eyes, an advocacy group that encourages people to contact lawmakers and post on social media. Colorado resident Alisha Basho's parents donated their corneas, and she says it's an opportunity everyone should have.
Alisha Bashaw: It's really sad when a loved one passes away, but it's also really wonderful to be able to give a gift after death and have them live on in some way through that donation.
TASSY: Last year, about 70,000 Americans donated corneas. Because most recipients only need a cornea for one eye, the majority of these donors helped not one, but two people.
For NPR News, I'm Elaine Tussey in Aurora, Colorado.
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