Current Perspectives on Corneal Transplantation
Siyin Liu, Yee Ling Wong, Andrew Walkden
Abstract
Siyin Liu,1,2 Yee Ling Wong,1 Andrew Walkden1,2 1Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK; 2School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKCorrespondence: Andrew Walkden, Email [email protected]: Disease of the cornea is the third leading cause of blindness worldwide. Corneal graft surgery is one of the most successful forms of solid organ transplantations in humans, with ever-increasing developments in surgical technique. To date, approximately 4504 corneal transplants are performed in the United Kingdom each year. While full thickness transplantation was the most commonly performed keratoplasty over the last few decades, selective lamellar transplantation of the diseased layers of the cornea has been universally adopted. This comprehensive review aims to provide an updated synthesis on different types of corneal transplantations, their treatment outcomes, and the associated complications of each procedure in both adult and paediatric population. In addition, we also present an up-to-date summary of the emerging therapeutic approaches that have the potential to reduce the demand for donor-dependent keratoplasty.Keywords: corneal transplantation, corneal blindness, keratoplasty, graft rejection, graft survival