Preparing uniform-thickness corneal endothelial grafts from donor tissues using a non-amplified femtosecond laser.

Abstract

Corneal grafts for Descemet's Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty are commonly prepared using mechanical microkeratomes. However, the cuts produced in such way render corneal lenticules that are thinner centrally than peripherally, thus inducing a hyperopic shift. Here we describe a novel device for preparing donor corneal grafts, in which a single low-energy femtosecond laser system is used as both a light source for optical coherence tomography and for cutting the graft illuminating from the endothelial side. The same laser is first utilized to obtain three-dimensional optical coherence tomography images of the donor tissue for guiding the dissection and obtaining grafts of uniform thickness with no applanation or contact. This device allows an optimal procedure for preparing consistently thin posterior grafts for transplantation.