Use of Photorefractive Keratectomy Treated Donor Corneas for Endothelial Keratoplasty

Corneal transplantation has been widely performed since the first successful surgery was described by Zirm. Recent data from the Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA), the accredited organization that tracks donor quality and volume of surgeries performed anually in the United States, has shown that 46,253 corneal tissues were used for transplantation in 2014 domestically while 76,431 tissues were used worldwide.[1] However, penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) procedures have significantly decreased over the last decade, whereas the number of endothelial keratoplasties (EK) have increased. In fact, the number of EKs has superseded PKPs since 2012 in the United States. EK is now the preferred surgical option for patients with endothelial pathologies, such as Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK), due to reduced complication rates and accelerated time for visual rehabilitation.