Surgeon Preferences for Endothelial Keratoplasty in Canada

To quantify practice patterns and assess attitudes and barriers to performing Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in Canada.

An anonymous online survey was distributed to all corneal surgeons included in the Canadian Ophthalmological Society's database.

Of 70 listed surgeons, 41 responses were collected (58.6% response rate). Most respondents were practicing in university hospitals (43.9%) or private practice (43.9%) and were involved in residency teaching (77.5%). Most respondents performed DMEK surgery (78%), and most surgeons prepared their own DMEK grafts (62%). Surgeons who were in practice for more than 25 years were less likely to perform DMEK (75% vs. 13%, P = 0.009) and performed fewer corneal transplantation in the previous year (mean 28 vs. 44, P = 0.022). Those who were not performing DMEK reported access to preprepared tissue (77.8%), access to wet laboratory courses (50%), and assistance or mentorship (50%) as common facilitators to start performing DMEK surgery.

DMEK is the preferred surgery for endothelial disease among Canadian corneal surgeons. Eye banks play a key role in increased adoption by ensuring an adequate supply of tissue and prestripping tissue for surgeons new to DMEK to be confident in performing it. Ensuring adequate supply of donor tissue and supplementary surgeon training can ensure that DMEK surgery is widely available in Canada.