Surgical strategies to improve visual outcomes in corneal transplantation

The recent years have brought about a sea change in the field of corneal transplantation with penetrating keratoplasty being phased to newer lamellar keratoplasty techniques for a variety of corneal pathology. Improved and innovative surgical techniques have allowed selective replacement of diseased host corneal layers with pre-prepared healthy donor corneal lamellae for anterior corneal disorders such as keratoconus and posterior corneal disorders such as Fuch's corneal endothelial dystrophy. The results of lamellar techniques are encouraging, with rapid visual rehabilitation and vastly reduced risk of immune-mediated transplant rejection. The techniques of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty and Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) continue to evolve with advent of femtosecond lasers and newer concepts such as pre-conditioned donor corneas for Microthin DSAEK and Descemet's membrane keratoplasty. This review describes the current developments in lamellar keratoplasty, including the futuristic approach using cell therapy to restore vision in corneal blindness.