Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in South Asian Population

PURPOSE: To evaluate visual outcomes, endothelial cell density and complications following Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). METHODS: This study included 40 consecutive eyes that underwent DMEK for various pathologies involving the corneal endothelium. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and endothelial cell density (ECD) were measured and compared before and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: Out of 40 eyes, 34 eyes (85%) had BCVA ranging from 0.5 to 0.7 LogMAR 6 months postoperatively. Mean donor ECD was 2367.96 ± 47.87 (range, 2314.0–2472.0) cells/mm(2) preoperatively, which was reduced to 1798.42 ± 45.79 (range, 1736.0–1902.0) cells/mm(2) 6 months after DMEK surgery, indicating a mean reduction of 569.54 cells/mm(2) (24%) in ECD. CONCLUSION: DMEK is an emerging and a more advanced alternative to penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) and Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) for corneal pathologies involving the corneal endothelium. Compared to PK and DSEK, however, DMEK has a longer learning curve, and its safety and efficacy need to be confirmed through more experience on a large volume of cases.