The use of endoillumination probe-assisted Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty for bullous keratopathy secondary to argon laser iridotomy

PURPOSE: To report the first case of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for bullous keratopathy (BK) secondary to argon laser iridotomy (ALI). PATIENT: A 71-year-old woman presented with decreased visual acuity in her right eye due to BK secondary to ALI that was performed 10 years prior. RESULTS: Phacosurgery was performed first, followed by successful DMEK 4 months later. A DMEK shooter was used for donor insertion, which allowed for a stable anterior chamber during donor insertion, even when the anterior chamber was quite shallow. Also, removal of edematous epithelial cells and endoillumination probe-assisted DMEK was quite useful to visualize DMEK graft on the background of the dark brown iris seen in Asian eyes. The patient’s best corrected visual acuity rapidly increased from 20/200 to 25/20 after 1 month, with complete resolution of corneal edema. CONCLUSION: We reported the first successful DMEK case for BK secondary to ALI. The use of a DMEK shooter for donor insertion and endoillumination assistance to visualize the DMEK graft was a useful technique for BK secondary to ALI.