Atlas of Lamellar Keratoplasty

Despite its introduction dating over 100 years, only during the last 10 -15 years, the interest toward Lamellar Keratoplasty (LK) was renewed by a rapid evolution of techniques and technologies. The superior visual results achieved after Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK), relegated LK to primarily tectonic indications for long time. Poor visual outcomes after LK were mostly attributed to the techniques of manual stromal dissection employed for donor tissue and recipient bed preparation, leading to graft-host interface of poor optical quality. However, the numerous benefits offered by LK (extraocular procedure, limited risk of rejection and graft failure, stronger wound construction) encouraged surgeons to find ways to overcome this problem.