Table 1.

Current eye-banking recommendations (at time of publication) with regard to selection of donors with COVID-19

Organisation	*Current recommendations on potential donors who may have COVID-19
Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA)†	Exclusion: Tested positive for or diagnosed with COVID-19 within past 28 days –Acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia or pulmonary CT scanning showing ‘ground glass opacities’ (regardless of whether another organism is present) within the last 28 days –Acute symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection within the 28 days prior to death such as cough and shortness of breath/difficulty breathing or two of the following: Two of the following: Fever, Chills, Repeated shaking with chills, Muscle, Pain, Headache, Sore throat, New loss of taste or smell Discretionary inclusion after review if: –Plausible aetiology of signs or symptoms as above –Close contact as defined by the CDC but PCR negative or asymptomatic within last 28 days prior to death ‘Close contact’ as being within approximately 6 feet (2 m) of a COVID-19 case for a prolonged period of time; close contact can occur while caring for, living with, visiting, or sharing a healthcare waiting area or room with a COVID-19 case; or having direct contact with infectious secretions of a COVID-19 case (eg, being coughed on) if such contact occurs while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment (PPE).
European Eye Bank Association (in line with European Centre of Disease Control)‡	Exclusion: –Any with active COVID-19 at the time of death are not eligible for organ donation. *Inclusion: –Tissues should not be collected from deceased donors who are without symptoms or diagnosis of COVID-19, and who have lived in or visited areas of sustained community transmission of the virus unless: procured tissues are disinfected, sterilised or microbially inactivated using a procedure validated for enveloped viruses, or donors tested negative for the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in upper or lower respiratory tract specimens collected within 72 hours before procurement. –Any who have recovered from COVID-19 may donate tissues if they tested negative for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in upper respiratory tract specimens at least 14 days before death or if they became asymptomatic at least 28 days before death.
United Kingdom National Health Service Blood and Transplant§	Exclusion: –Any donor with confirmed COVID-19 infection *Inclusion: Donors with proven or suspected COVID-19 with recovery and no symptoms for more than 28 days may be eligible for assessment if no significant end organ damage and subject to negative: Nose and throat swab PCR, endotracheal aspirate PCR and blood in EDTA for retrospective PCR and serological testing
Eye Bank Association of Australia & New Zealand (EBAANZ)¶	Exclusion: –Any who have a history of international travel in the past 4 weeks will be excluded for 4 weeks. –Any who have had close contact with a known or suspected COVID-19 case will be excluded for 4 weeks from the time of contact –Any who have been infected with COVID-19 will be excluded from donation for three months after recovery from the virus.
Global Alliance of Eye Bank Associations (GAEBA)**	Exclusion: –Any potential donors with less than 14 days since resolution of symptoms from confirmed COVID-19 infection –Any awaiting test results for suspected COVID-19 infection –Any contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection less than 14 days *Discretionary inclusion: –Any more than 14 days have passed since resolution of symptoms in confirmed COVID-19 infections –Any more than 14 days since the first day of contact with an individual with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection, and the donor remained well, with no symptoms of coronavirus infection –If less than 14 days and the donor remained well, with no symptoms of COVID-19 infection—subject to individual risk assessment –Donors without respiratory symptoms who are suspected COVID-19 infection but untested, and those who were in intensive care units with patients who had been tested for COVID-19 infection and subsequently moved to isolation facilities following confirmation of infection—subject to individual risk assessment
Pan American Association of Eye Banks††	Exclusion: –Any who have had contact with a known or suspected COVID-19 case will be excluded for 30 days from the time of contact –Any who have been infected with COVID-19 will be excluded from donation for 90 days after recovery from the virus. –Any who have symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection but had no lab confirmation will be excluded from donation for 90 days. Individual countries may follow specific local guidelines, or closely following guidance from Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA).† for example, Brazil following EBAA
Asia	No published consensus and guidelines across Asia at time of publication (July 2020). Individual countries follow specific local guidelines, many closely following guidance from Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA).† Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI) have specific guidelines: URL: https://www.ebai.org/pdf/EyeBankingGuidelines1105202V.1.pdf

*Information accessed at time of publication subject to regular updates thereafter.

†Adapted from Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA) (URL: https://restoresight.org/covid-19-updates, accessed May 2020).

‡Adapted from European Eye Bank Association in line with European Centre of Disease Control (updated April 2020).

§Adapted from NHS Blood and Transplant POL296/1—Re-opening of Transplant Programmes: Issues for Consideration (URL: https://www.odt.nhs.uk/deceased-donation/covid-19-advice-for-clinicians/ and https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/18436/pol296.pdf, accessed May 2020).

¶Adapted from Eye Bank Association of Australia and New Zealand (URL:http://www.ebaanz.org/medical-standards-and-quality/ebaanz-covid-19-20-march-2020/).

**Adapted from URL: http://www.gaeba.org/2020/alert-coronavirus-2019-ncov-and-ocular-tissue-donation/updated, March 25, 2020.

††Pan American Association of Eye Banks (URL: http://www.apaboeyebanks.org).