Pre-loaded tissue for DSAEK/UT-DSAEK

The tissues should be prepared either in the surgical theatre or in the eye banks to carry out DSAEK surgeries. The cornea can be cut using a microkeratome and the entire tissue can be delivered to the surgeon as a pre-cut lenticule with the anterior cap of the cornea still attached to the scleral rim by its peripheral edge for ease of transportation and to lower any potential endothelial cell damage. Eye bank-prepared pre-cut tissues have certain advantages over those tissues that are prepared in the surgical theatre majorly being low tissue wastage. To avoid any wastage and to increase the use of a more validated product, we set out to understand the possible options to prepare a pretrephined, pre-validated tissue in an eye bank and ship it to the surgeon for ease of surgery. This chapter also describes the design, 3D printing and clinical validation of the new device for pre-loading a DSAEK lenticule that is used for transplanting a thin layer of cornea for DSAEK or Ultra-Thin DSAEK.