Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 24, 2025

Corneal Donor Tissue Preparation for Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty
Published on: September 17, 2014
Spontaneous attachment of complex Descemet's membrane detachment following multiple failed interventions
Shikha Gupta1, Karthikeyan Mahalingam2, Tushar Agarwal2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS, New Delhi, India shikhagupta@aiims.edu.
Abstract:
We describe a case with complex Descemet membrane detachment (DMD) which persisted despite initial two failed surgical attempts to appose the ocular tissues. However, over time, tissue alignment was obtained spontaneously. A 60-year-old woman, operated trabeculectomy, had a total DMD intraoperatively during a complicated cataract surgery. Initial attempt to DM repositioning with intracameral air injection failed. Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (ASOCT) showed detachment of both DM and pre-Descemet's layer (PDL). After consultation with a corneal surgeon, patient was again attempted for Intra-operative Optical Coherence Tomography (iOCT)-guided settlement of DMD with intracameral air which again failed. So, the patient was registered for lamellar corneal transplant, but at 3 months follow-up, DM had spontaneously attached, confirmed on ASOCT. This case shows for the first time that even complex DMDs involving PDL, can spontaneously appose despite failed surgical interventions.

