Keratoprosthesis

Boston Kpro type 1 titanium posterior plate

Keratoprosthesis is a surgical procedure where a diseased cornea is replaced with an artificial cornea. Traditionally, keratoprosthesis is recommended after a person has had a failure of one or more donor corneal transplants.[1] More recently, a less invasive, non-penetrating artificial cornea has been developed which can be used in more routine cases of corneal blindness. While conventional cornea transplant uses donor tissue for transplant, an artificial cornea is used in the keratoprosthesis procedure. The surgery is performed to restore vision in patients with severely damaged cornea due to congenital birth defects, infections, injuries and burns.

Keratoprotheses are made of clear plastic with excellent tissue tolerance and optical properties. They vary in design, size and even the implantation techniques may differ across different treatment centers. The procedure is done by ophthalmologists, often on an outpatient basis.

The idea of artificial cornea was first proposed in 1789 by French ophthalmologist Guillaume Pellier de Quengsy.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Chen, Masako; Ng, Sueko M.; Akpek, Esen K.; Ahmad, Sumayya (13 May 2020). "Artificial corneas versus donor corneas for repeat corneal transplants". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020 (5): CD009561. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009561.pub3. ISSN 1469-493X. PMC 7388900. PMID 32408386.
  2. ^ de Quengsy, Guillaume Pellier (1789). Précis au cours d'operations sur la chirurgie des yeux [Accuracy during eye surgery operations] (in French). Paris: Didot. OCLC 14829290.[page needed]
  3. ^ Alio, Jorge L; Abdelghany, Ahmed A; Abu-Mustafa, Sabat K; Zein, G (2015). "A new epidescemetic keratoprosthesis: Pilot investigation and proof of concept of a new alternative solution for corneal blindness". British Journal of Ophthalmology. 99 (11): 1483–7. doi:10.1136/bjophthalmol-2014-306264. PMID 25868791. S2CID 12099320.
  4. ^ Alio, Jorge L; Abbouda, Alessandro; Vega-Estrada, Alfredo (2018). "An Innovative Intrastromal Keratoprosthesis Surgery Assisted by Femtosecond Laser". European Journal of Ophthalmology. 24 (4): 490–3. doi:10.5301/ejo.5000435. PMID 24519504. S2CID 20451052.