Editorial: Corneal transplantation and eye banking

Abstract

Editorial on the Research Topic Corneal Transplantation and Eye BankingCornea, the front transparent layer of the eye, is responsible for vision clarity. Disease or dysfunction in any layer of this multilayer tissue can lead to corneal blindness in addition to pain and discomfort. Corneal transplantation is the most popular choice of treatment where a healthy donor graft obtained from a cadaver is harvested, stored or processed in an eye bank and used to replace the diseased host tissue (1). However, human cadaveric corneal tissues have a worldwide shortage, so researchers are finding alternative solutions to treat corneal disorders (2). Improved surgical techniques, graft restoration procedures, cell and molecular based treatment options, and tissue alternatives have all contributed to the advancement in the field of corneal transplant and eye banking (3). In addition, since the pandemic impacted tissue procurement significantly, a huge waiting list was observed due to lack of tissues for elective surgeries (4, 5). However, with significant amount of work to improve the donation rate, the corneal transplantation has resumed and now fully functional with tissue donations being actively pursued.The studies in this special issue on Corneal transplantation and eye banking highlighted recent advances. Novel and long-term clinical outcomes suggested that Boston type 1 KPro can be used for patients with aniridia associated keratopathy (AAK), however, it was suggested that glaucoma and restroprosthetic membrane formation must be considered before transplanting such device in these patients (Dyer et al.). Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) is routinely performed to replace the anterior cornea. Usually, the donor tissue is cut to a desired thickness and the diseased anterior stroma replaced. However, a recent long-term study evaluated a new polymethymethacrylate (PMMA) ring (Neoring) and showed that this synthetic device can be used as a viable, effective, and safe option for pre-Descemet DALK to optimize Frontiers in Medicine frontiersin.org