Corneal graft transparency: is 100% an achievable goal?

In a series of 56 patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty in 86 eyes, 96% of the grafted corneas achieved clarity during a follow-up period of 6 months to 6 years. The reason for this high success rate was the very strict patient selection, which almost entirely excluded cases with dry eye syndrome, active inflammation of the eye and elevated intraocular pressure. Donor material was also very carefully selected.