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Updated: Jul 29, 2026
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Corneal Donor Tissue Preparation for Endothelial Keratoplasty
Published on: June 12, 2012
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Emerging alternatives to keratoplasty for corneal endothelial cell dysfunction
Ron Kaufman1,2, Albert S Jun1
1Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Current Opinion in Ophthalmology
|June 28, 2024
Summary
New treatments for endothelial dysfunction are emerging, offering alternatives to keratoplasty. Surgical methods show promise, while pharmacologic and regenerative therapies are still in early development.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Keratoplasty is effective for endothelial dysfunction but faces donor tissue limitations.
- Alternative strategies are crucial due to global donor tissue scarcity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advancements in alternatives to keratoplasty for endothelial disease between 2022-2023.
- To highlight key developments in surgical, pharmacologic, and regenerative therapies.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent publications (2022-2023) on endothelial dysfunction treatments.
- Analysis of novel surgical techniques, artificial implants, and pharmacologic agents.
Main Results:
- Intracameral cultivated allogeneic endothelial cell injection and Descemet stripping with Rho-associated kinase inhibitor (ROCKi) therapy show promise.
- Donor-independent artificial implants like EndoArt demonstrate favorable outcomes.
- Pharmacologic agents, particularly ROCKi, show potential as monotherapies but lack approval.
- Regenerative and genetic therapies are under investigation but remain preclinical.
Conclusions:
- Surgical alternatives to keratoplasty are closest to clinical application but require further validation.
- Pharmacologic, regenerative, and genetic therapies are promising but need extensive validation before clinical use.
