deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty

Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) is a promising form of partial-thickness cornea transplantation, but its popular “big bubble” technique frequently fails due to difficulty controlling a needle insertion into the cornea. We addressed the surgeon challenges that reduce success rates by demonstrating an optical coherence tomography (OCT)-guided, robotically stabilized workstation for manually or automatically performing DALK needle insertions. In a study with cornea fellows, we found that OCT visualization versus the standard stereo microscope was a key enabler in manual attempts and that our automatic robotic method met or exceeded the performance of cornea fellows. read more