A healthy cornea is essential if visual stimuli are to be transformed into images in the brain. If the cornea becomes cloudy over the course of a lifetime, the result can be impaired vision and even blindness. To restore this important part of the visual system, a corneal transplant (keratoplasty) is often the only treatment option.
Perforating keratoplasty (pKPL) was the only method available for decades. This classic surgical method involves completely removing the opacified cornea and replacing it with a corneal graft.
In recent years, a new, much gentler surgical procedure has come to the fore : lamellar keratoplasty. In this transplant procedure, only the diseased corneal layers are replaced, while the healthy tissue is preserved.
Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) is an innovative method of treating endothelial diseases of the cornea. Only the innermost diseased corneal layer, which is no longer able to sufficiently regulate the cornea’s water balance, is removed and replaced by a 15 µm-thick graft.
The major advantages of DMEK are a much shorter healing time, near-normal post-operative visual acuity and a significantly reduced rejection rate.
Compared with other transplant procedures, DMEK is more technically demanding. The procedure is minimally invasive and sutureless, with an incision of just 2 mm.
We take care of all eye diseases,
from initial diagnosis to regular follow-up.
