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Corneal transplantation can be divided into two groups: penetrating and lamellar keratoplasty. Newer minimally invasive procedures have emerged over the years, to improve the visual outcome and reduce complications. This article summarizes the different procedures, their indications and complications, and outlines the pre-, peri- and postoperative management in a clinical setting.Corneal transplantation is the most commonly performed transplantation of donor tissue in modern medicine. In the last years a shift away from penetrating keratoplasty (PK) towards minimally invasive lamellar operative techniques, associated with less complications, can be observed. The Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) is used to treat endothelial corneal pathologies and has overtaken the PK to become the most commonly performed form of keratoplasty. Preparation and identification of possible risk-factors are essential preoperative steps to reduce peri- and postoperative complications of keratoplasties. If corneal graft rejection occurs, early and maximum therapy is crucial for graft survival. Laser-assisted techniques offer different advantages in lamellar and penetrating keratoplasty but are not very cost-efficient., Competing Interests: Erklärung zu finanziellen Interessen Forschungsförderung erhalten: ja, von einer anderen Institution (Pharma- oder Medizintechnikfirma usw.); Honorar/geldwerten Vorteil für Referententätigkeit erhalten: ja, von einer anderen Institution (Pharma- oder Medizintechnikfirma usw.); Bezahlter Berater/interner Schulungsreferent/Gehaltsempfänger: ja, von einer anderen Institution (Pharma- oder Medizintechnikfirma usw.); Patent/Geschäftsanteile/Aktien (Autor/Partner, Ehepartner, Kinder) an im Bereich der Medizin aktiven Firma: nein; Patent/Geschäftsanteile/Aktien (Autor/Partner, Ehepartner, Kinder) an zu Sponsoren dieser Fortbildung bzw. durch die Fortbildung in ihren Geschäftsinteressen berührten Firma: nein. Erklärung zu nichtfinanziellen Interessen Ruven Sonntag: keine InteressenkonflikteNikolaus Luft: Consultant & Speaker für Carl Zeiss Meditec, Speaker für Alcon Laboratories Inc., NIDEK Co. Ltd and CenterVue SpAWolfgang J. Mayer: Alcon (F/C/R); Zeiss (F/C/R); Ziemer (F/C/R); DORC (F/R); Allergan (F/R); Teleon Surgical (F/R); Novartis (F/R); Bausch & Lomb (F/R); Heidelberg Engineering (R); Örtli (R); Staar Surgical (R); CSO (R); Humanoptics (R); Ophtec (R) [F: Financial Support; C: Consultant; R: Recipient], (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background:  Modern preoperative diagnostics as well as current surgical techniques allow cataract and refractive surgery to deliver precise refractive results.Occasionally, unsatisfactory refractive and visual results occur despite all the care taken. In these cases, subsequent improvement is required to achieve the best final visual outcome. This article shows the therapeutic options for the treatment of residual refractive errors after lens and corneal refractive surgery., Key Messages:  The causes of postoperative refractive errors after refractive laser- or lens-based procedures are very diverse and require extensive workup of the cause as well as an individual solution to achieve the desired result. Before any further surgical intervention, specific complications of the primary procedure as well as concomitant ocular diseases must be excluded or treated. The appropriate enhancement after keratorefractive surgery depends primarily on the type of primary surgery, residual stromal thickness, possible complications from the initial surgery, and the patient's personal preference. For enhancements using surface treatments, such as PRK, the use of mitomycin C is recommended for prophylaxis of haze formation. After lens surgery, for low-grade postoperative refractive errors (spherical and astigmatic), keratorefractive enhancements provide the most accurate results. For higher refractive errors, lens-based procedures can be used, with add-on IOLs being safer and more precise compared with one IOL exchange. Low astigmatisms can be successfully treated with LRI or keratorefractive surgery, but higher astigmatisms should be corrected with an IOL exchange in the early postoperative period and with an add-on IOL in the later postoperative period. IOL explantations should be performed very cautiously, especially in cases of pronounced capsular fibrosis, previous posterior capsulotomy, and existing weakness of the zonular apparatus., Competing Interests: Erklärung zu finanziellen Interessen Forschungsförderung erhalten: ja, von einer anderen Institution (Pharma- oder Medizintechnikfirma usw.); Honorar/geldwerten Vorteil für Referententätigkeit erhalten: ja, von einer anderen Institution (Pharma- oder Medizintechnikfirma usw.); Bezahlter Berater/interner Schulungsreferent/Gehaltsempfänger: ja, von einer anderen Institution (Pharma- oder Medizintechnikfirma usw.); Patent/Geschäftsanteile/Aktien (Autor/Partner, Ehepartner, Kinder) an im Bereich der Medizin aktiven Firma: nein; Patent/Geschäftsanteile/Aktien (Autor/Partner, Ehepartner, Kinder) an zu Sponsoren dieser Fortbildung bzw. durch die Fortbildung in ihren Geschäftsinteressen berührten Firma: nein. Erklärung zu nichtfinanziellen Interessen Lukas Feldhaus: keine finanziellen Interessenkonflikte.Nikolaus Luft: Consultant & Speaker für Carl Zeiss Meditec.Wolfgang Mayer: Alcon (F/C/R); Zeiss (F/C/R); Ziemer (F/C/R); DORC (F/R); Allergan (F/R); Teleon Surgical (F/R); Novartis (F/R); Bausch & Lomb (F/R); Heidelberg Engineering (R); Örtli (R); Staar Surgical (R); CSO (R); Humanoptics (R); Ophtec (R) [F: Financial Support; C: Consultant; R: Recipient], (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest LK received previous speaker fees and/or travel expenses from Recordati Rare Diseases and Roche Diagnostics GmbH. FK has no financial interests to declare. KH received previous speaker fees from Recordati Rare Diseases. BS received previous speaker fees and travel expenses from Novartis Pharma GmbH and Topcon Corporation. SP received previous speaker fees and/or travel expenses from Novartis Pharma GmbH, Oertli AG, Bayer AG, Alcon Pharma GmbH and Pharm-Allergan GmbH. NL received income from honoraria as a lecturer from Alcon Laboratories, NIDEK Co., and CenterVue SpA. CP received previous speaker fees from Novartis Pharma GmbH and travel expenses from Recordati Rare Diseases Inc.

With an estimated incidence of 0.011%, the SMILE procedure seems to have the lowest risk of postoperative keratectasia among contemporary keratorefractive procedures. Nevertheless, due to the novelty of the procedure as well as the lack of data, no clear superiority over femto-LASIK or PRK can be stated at this time. In this respect, application of the identical tomographic screening criteria previously developed for excimer-based procedures is of paramount importance to minimize the risk of corneal ectasia. As an adjunct to conventional corneal tomography, newer imaging modalities such as OCT-based epithelial mapping should be used for preoperative screening before keratorefractive surgery. Corneal crosslinking is an established treatment modality for post-SMILE keratectasia, which promises high success rates especially in early stages. The present case report illustrates these diagnostic and therapeutic considerations., Competing Interests: Die Autorinnen/Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht./The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)

Background: Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) is an established treatment method for patients suffering from either genetic corneal dystrophy or recurrent corneal erosion (RCE) without underlying basement membrane dystrophy, often caused by trauma., Objective: This study aimed to describe the changes in manifest subjective refraction and pachymetry after PTK treatment in patients suffering from epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD) and traumatic or atraumatic RCE without underlying EBMD., Material and Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center study performed at the Department of Ophthalmology of the Ludwig-Maximilians University (Munich). Patient data were retrospective collected using the smart-eye database of the Department of Ophthalmology including diagnostic data from an autorefractometer and from the Pentacam HR. All laser treatments were performed with an ablation depth of 10 μm for EBMD patients and 6 μm for RCE patients without EBMD., Results: Both collectives showed a decrease in pachymetry larger than the calculated ablation depths after a follow-up interval of 126 days (95% CI 104-147 days). While the EBMD collective receiving an ablation of 10 μm showed a decrease of 25.8 μm (N = 74; 95% CI 21.2-30.3; p < 0.001), the non-EBMD collective receiving an ablation of 6 μm showed a decrease of 12.3 μm (N = 44, 95% CI 7.0-17.7; p < 0.001). Both, total corneal refractive power (TCRP) as well as spherical equivalent (SE) offered no significant change in preoperative and postoperative comparison for the EBMD collective. On the other hand, patients without underlying EBMD showed a significant myopic decrease in SE of 0.4 dpt (±0.7 dpt SD, p < 0.05). The mean follow-up interval was 126 days (95% CI 104-147 days)., Conclusion: PTK treatment offers an effective method for patients suffering from either EBMD dystrophy or RCE syndrome without underlying EBMD. The final ablation based on pachymetry at the apex can be estimated at 2.3 to 2.6 times higher compared to the original ablation depth. The reasons for this are on the one hand the laser ablation itself and the influence of the reactive wound healing of the corneal epithelium., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) is the gold standard for the treatment of corneal endothelial disease, first and foremost Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy. Superior visual rehabilitation as well as lower and decreasing complication rates can be obtained with DMEK than with Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) - still the most commonly performed type of posterior lamellar keratoplasty. Recent advancements in the DMEK method include the establishment of a standardised and reproducible surgical "no touch" technique and the emerging role of eye banks, which are able to prepare convenient pre-cut DMEK grafts. These developments pave the way for increasing numbers of corneal surgeons to add DMEK to their armamentarium, despite the more challenging nature of this procedure. However, a review of the current literature shows that this fascinating technique still offers certain challenges, which need to be further addressed. For example, graft detachment remains the most commonly encountered complication after DMEK. A plethora of prospective-randomised studies is required to further endorse the evident superiority of DMEK over alternative types of lamellar keratoplasty and to help propagate the practice of this fascinating technique., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)