Excimer laser-processed donor corneal lenticules for lamellar keratoplasty

We used the 193-nm argon-fluoride excimer laser to cut plano corneal lenticules from fresh corneal tissue for lamellar keratoplasty. The laser was used to cut away all corneal tissue outside a specially designed mold, which was developed to obtain a corneal lenticule of 10 mm in diameter and a constant thickness of 0.3 mm. The surface topography of the excimer laser-cut corneal lenticule was smoother and more regular on scanning electron microscopy than a hand-cut corneal lenticule, and the thickness was constant around the surface. No thermal or mechanical damage to the cornea was observed on light microscopy in the area adjacent to the cut.