Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty Using Fresh versus Cryopreserved Corneas – Corrected Proof
Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) requires less stringent criteria for donor tissue quality, which is important in countries with a shortage of donor corneas. Long-term corneal preservation was initially introduced to protect the living endothelial cells from freezing damage. However, the subsequent studies demonstrate that long-term preservation by lyophilization or chemical glycerin dehydration effectively depletes donor cells leaving just a stromal collagen matrix for keratoplasty. Because DALK allows acellular tissues to be transplanted, a simpler method of long-term preservation in which no cryoprotectant is used can be adopted.