Corneal surgery: instrumentation, patient considerations, and surgical principles

Surgical management of corneal disease can be a challenging undertaking. Some corneal surgical procedures require specialized microsurgical training, whereas individuals with general surgical training, written guidance, and proper instrumentation can successfully perform others. A prerequisite to success is familiarity with several unique features of corneal microsurgery. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of applicable microsurgical instruments and their proper use, to provide guidelines for appropriate suture choice and application, and to present pre- and postoperative surgical considerations particular to corneal surgical procedures. Specific surgical procedures are beyond the scope of this article, but the fundamentals of corneal surgical manipulations applicable to the specific surgeries covered in other articles in this issue are described. Finally, because an understanding of corneal function, anatomy, and physiology is essential to the corneal surgeon, a brief review of these topics with an emphasis on surgical application is provided.