Cornea

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to report trends in keratoplasty techniques and indications in the United States from 2015 to 2020.

Methods:

This retrospective review of annual reports from the Eye Bank Association of America assessed domestic corneal graft distribution and surgical indication data for various types of keratoplasty. Trends in procedure volume and indications from 2015 to 2020 were analyzed using the Cochran–Armitage test.

Results:

The total number of corneal transplants increased from 47,903 in 2015 to 49,143 in 2019, with a decline to 42,257 in 2020, most likely due to COVID-19. Penetrating keratoplasty (PK) volume decreased from 2015 to 2020 (19,160–15,402, 40% to 36.4%, P

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate postoperative Scheimpflug imaging changes during the first 5 years after penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in patients with keratoconus (KC).

Methods:

This retrospective, interventional case series includes 31 eyes of 31 patients who underwent their first PK with a history of KC. Postoperative Scheimpflug imaging was performed 3 months after the removal of the last suture (baseline) and then repeated 3 and 5 years after the PK. Demographic data, donor and host trephination diameter, and Scheimpflug imaging (Pentacam HR, Oculus, Germany) parameters indicative of ectasia were analyzed to evaluate postoperative graft changes that occur after PK.

Results:

The maximal keratometry (Kmax) progressed significantly between baseline (53.5 ± 6.1 D) and postoperative year 3 and year 5 [56.5 ± 6.1 diopter (D) and 58.8 ± 7.9 D, P

Purpose:

This study aimed to review clinical features, causative organisms, complications, and outcome of bacterial keratitis cases at a tertiary eye hospital.

Methods:

A retrospective study was conducted on clinically diagnosed bacterial keratitis cases from 2007 to 2019. Poor outcome was flagged if any of the following was identified: final visual acuity (VA) worse than 20/200, decrease in VA (1 line or worse compared with presenting VA), corneal perforation, endophthalmitis, failed graft, or cases requiring enucleation or evisceration.

Results:

The study included 263 cases of bacterial keratitis with 169 cases (64.3%) of culture-positive bacterial keratitis. Gram-positive bacteria were found to be the causative organism in 106 cases (62.8%). The most common types were coagulase-negative staphylococci (23.1%) and Pseudomonas (23.1%). Culture-positive bacterial keratitis was associated with the development of anterior chamber reaction (≥1+) on multivariate analysis [adjusted odds ratio (OR): 3.03, confidence interval (CI): 1.23–7.45, P = 0.016]. The complications that occurred in the current cohort included visually significant scar (64.7%), perforation (10.8%), cataract (8.8%), nonhealing epithelial defects (8.0%), corneal neovascularization (4.9%), endophthalmitis (4.6%), and hypotony (1.5%). On multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR: 3.51, CI: 1.59–7.76, P = 0.002), poor presenting best-corrected VA (adjusted OR: 3.95, CI 1.96–7.96, P

Purpose:

The purpose of the study was to compare the clinical outcomes of large 9.0-mm diameter and conventional 8.0-mm big-bubble deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK).

Methods:

In this comparative, retrospective interventional case series, medical records of 124 cases of large 9.0-mm diameter DALK from January 2017 to December 2019 and 133 conventional 8.0-mm DALK from January 2014 to December 2016 performed by a single surgeon for the indication of keratoconus were reviewed. Main outcome measures were best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), refractive astigmatism (RA), and postoperative complication rates.

Results:

Postoperative logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution BSCVA did not significantly differ between 9.0-mm and 8.0-mm DALK at any time points. Although the cumulative percentage of eyes achieving Snellen BSCVA of 20/40 or better was comparable between groups (9.0-mm DALK: 93%, 8.0-mm DALK: 90%, P = 0.571), the cumulative percentage of eyes achieving 20/20 or better (9.0-mm DALK: 44%, 8.0-mm DALK: 26%, P = 0.01) and 20/25 or better (9.0-mm DALK: 74%, 8.0-mm DALK: 59%, P = 0.03) was significantly higher in the 9.0-mm DALK group. RA was significantly lower in the 9.0-mm DALK group compared with the 8.0-mm DALK group during all time points (P

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of head trauma–related deaths on corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) in eye bank donors.

Methods:

This is a retrospective study of 287 corneas from donors with causes of death s…

Purpose:

The aim of this prospective cross-sectional cohort study was to clinically test whether corneal sensation decreases with age, based on subject feedback (psychophysical method), and whether it correlates with general pain perception.

Methods:

Subjects were recruited from 2 equally large age groups: group A (18–30 years) and group B (50–70 years; n = 45 per group). The inclusion criteria were healthy eyes, Ocular Surface Disease Index ≤13, and no contact lens wear. Corneal sensitivity threshold (CST) measurements were performed twice during each of the 2 visits, with the aid of the new Swiss liquid jet esthesiometer for corneal sensitivity (SLACS) and Cochet–Bonnet (CB) esthesiometer. A general pain sensitivity score was obtained from all participants.

Results:

Ninety subjects completed the study (n = 45 per age group, average age in group A: 24.2 ± 2.94 years, group B: 58.5 ± 5.71 years). Statistically higher CSTs for age group B were only observed for SLACS (mean difference: 1.58 dB, P

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an umbilical cord tissue graft (UCG) could promote reepithelialization in refractory cases of neurotrophic keratopathy, which failed traditional treatment modalities including amniotic memb…

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to quantify preparation difficulties and complications during DMEK graft preparation and their influence on clinical outcome.

Methods:

A retrospective evaluation of 214 consecutive DMEK surgeries from the p…

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to evaluate results after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and DMEK with cataract surgery (triple DMEK) in eyes with endothelial dysfunction and concomitant macular pathology.

Methods:

A monocentric, prospective clinical observational study of patients who underwent DMEK or triple DMEK surgery at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Germany, from June 2013 to February 2016 was conducted. Sex, age, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central corneal thickness, endothelial cell density, and central retinal thickness in the 1 millimeter zone were analyzed.

Results:

A total of 209 eyes were included in the study. Forty-two eyes (20.1%) had vision-limiting concomitant maculopathies. These were age-related macular degeneration (n = 17, 8.1%), epiretinal gliosis (n = 13, 6.2%), chronic macular edema (n = 7, 3.3%), macular holes (n = 3, 1.4%), and macular scarring (n = 2, 1.0%). BCVA significantly increased in patients without maculopathy from 0.6 ± 0.33 logMAR to 0.1 ± 0.15 logMAR (P

Purpose:

The aim of this study was to compare endothelial cell loss for DMEK (Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty) tissue preparation techniques using the modified Jones tube and the DMEK EndoGlide with and without viscoelastic material to protect the endothelium.

Methods:

This ex vivo study included 10 DMEK grafts prepared using each of the 3 abovementioned techniques. After tissue preparation, transport conditions were simulated for a minimum of 45 hours before deployment of the DMEK tissue and quantification of endothelial cell loss. Comparisons between preparation technique groups were made using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

Results:

The Jones tube group had a mean endothelial cell loss of 11.0 ± 4.8% compared with the EndoGlide group with 12.9 ± 6.7% and the EndoGlide with viscoelastic group with 25.7 ± 15.0%. The differences between the EndoGlide with viscoelastic group and the other 2 were statistically significant both before (P