OCT-guided DSAEK Graft Shaping and Smoothing

Randomized Clinical Trial of OCT-guided DSAEK Graft Shaping and Smoothing

The primary goal of this study is to determine if excimer laser smoothing of the cornea before Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK)improves postoperative Best Spectacle Corrected Visual Acuity (BSCVA).

Many surgeons are moving away from full thickness corneal transplantation (because of risks involving rejection, irregular astigmatism, and wound dehiscence) to partial thickness transplantations of either the anterior or posterior (endothelial) layers. However this technique is not without its drawbacks. DSAEK uses a mechanical microkeratome to cut the graft, but vision is limited by the roughness of the cut surface.

DSAEK can lead to significant refractive error due to the non-uniform shape of the microkeratome cut graft, and the roughness of the microkeratome cut surface limits vision to an average of 20/31. Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided laser shaping and smoothing may improve the refractive and visual outcome.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults with visual complaint and objective evidence of decreased vision due to corneal edema related to Fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy

Exclusion Criteria:

• Inability to give informed consent
• Inability to maintain stable fixation for OCT imaging
• Inability to commit to required visits to complete the study
• Eyes with concurrent cataract, retinal diseases, glaucoma, or other eye conditions that may limit the visual outcome after surgery