Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb 1;3(2):http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40137-014-0079-5/fulltext.html.
doi: 10.1007/s40137-014-0079-5.

Evolving Techniques in Corneal Transplantation

Grace E Boynton  1 , Maria A Woodward  1
Affiliations

Evolving Techniques in Corneal Transplantation

Grace E Boynton et al. Curr Surg Rep. .

Abstract

Corneal transplantation is one of the most common types of human transplant surgery. By removing a scarred or damaged host cornea and replacing it with a clear and healthy donor transplant, this procedure helps to restore vision in a variety of corneal diseases. The traditional technique for corneal transplantation, penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), involves transplantation of all corneal layers. Over the past decade though, there has been a trend away from PKP as surgeons have developed partial thickness transplant procedures, such as deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty and Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty. These partial thickness transplant procedures selectively replace diseased host corneal tissue, while conserving healthy and functioning tissue. This review describes current surgical techniques in the field of corneal transplantation, with special emphasis on indications for transplantation and postoperative outcomes.

Keywords: Corneal transplantation; Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty; Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty; Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty; Penetrating keratoplasty.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest Grace E. Boynton and Maria A. Woodward declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Slit lamp photographs following a penetrating keratoplasty, b deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, c Descemet stripping automated keratoplasty, and d descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eye Bank Association of America. EBAA’s 2013 fast facts for physicians. Washington: Eye Bank Association of American; 2014.
    1. Donate Life America. [Accessed 1 Oct 2014];2014 statistics. http://donatelife.net/statistics/.
    1. Farid M, Steinert RF, Gaster RN, et al. Comparison of penetrating keratoplasty performed with a femtosecond laser zig–zag incision versus conventional blade trephination. Ophthalmology. 2009;116(9):1638–1643. - PubMed
    1. Baradaran-Rafii A, Eslani M. Femtosecond laser-assisted corneal transplantation. Br J Ophthalmol. 2013;97:675–676. - PubMed
    1. Williams KA, Lowe M, Bartlett C, et al. Risk factors for human corneal graft failure within the Australian corneal graft registry. Transplantation. 2008;86(12):1720–1724. - PubMed