Femtosecond laser-assisted corneal transplantation

Abstract

Corneal transplantation is the only surgical option to improve symptoms and vision in patients with severe corneal opacification. With the evolution and development of keratoplasty techniques, corneal surgeons can perform customized keratoplasty, with complex graft-host junctions to promote wound healing and accelerate visual rehabilitation. Femtosecond laser (FSL) enable customization of the thickness and shape of the graft has been used for trephination of both donor and recipient corneas and for creating special wound configurations. In this review, we have summarized the intraoperative application and postoperative outcomes of FSL-assisted keratoplasties, including penetrating keratoplasty, anterior lamellar keratoplasty (ALK), deep ALK, Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (EK), and Descemet membrane EK. Although FSL allows for the customization and precision in keratoplasty, several concerns, such as cost-effectiveness, limit its wider clinical adoption. Hence, more work is required to weigh the advantages and limitations of the FSL applications in corneal transplantation.

Keywords: Anterior lamellar keratoplasty; Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty; Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty; deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty; femtosecond laser; penetrating keratoplasty.