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Purpose To investigate recipient and operative factors that can influence the rate of achieving a bare Descemet's membrane (DM) during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) for keratoconus. Materials In this retrospective comparative study, a total of 290 (153 right) consecutive eyes from 257 (179 male) keratoconus-affected patients who underwent DALK with the big-bubble technique were enrolled. Univariate analyses and multiple logistic regressions were used to investigate factors including patient age and sex, family history of keratoconus, history of contact lens wear or vernal keratoconjunctivitis, the presence of Vogt's striae or superficial stromal opacities, keratometric readings, corneal diameter, central and peripheral corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, vitreous length, and trephination size, which could predict achievement of a bare DM. Results The surgery was completed as a DALK in 289 of 290 eyes, and a bare DM was successfully achieved in 229 (79.2%) eyes. The recipient sex and trephination size significantly influenced the success rate of bigbubble formation. Females had decreased odds of achieving a bare DM by 0.44 times ( p=0.02). For each 0.1 mm increase in the trephination size, the odds of a successful big-bubble formation increased by 1.36 times ( p=0.03). Other investigated factors did not significantly influence the rate of achieving a bare DM. Conclusions The rate of successful big-bubble formation was 79.2% in keratoconus. Among the different factors, recipient sex and trephination size significantly influenced this rate. Females had a lower probability of big-bubble formation, and a large trephination size was associated with an increase in the probability of achieving a bare DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To review recent innovations, challenges, and applications of small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) extracted lenticule for treating ocular disorders., Methods: A literature review was performed in the PubMed database, which was last updated on 30 December 2021. There was no limit regarding language. The authors evaluated the reference lists of the collected papers to find any relevant research., Results: Due to the simplicity and accuracy of modern femtosecond lasers and the extensive development of SMILE surgery, many healthy human corneal stromal lenticules were extracted during surgery, motivating some professionals to investigate the SMILE lenticule reusability in different ocular disorders. In addition, new approaches had been developed to preserve, modify, and bioengineer the corneal stroma, leading to the optimal use of discarded byproducts such as lenticules from SMILE surgery. The lenticules can be effectively re-implanted into the autologous or allogenic corneas of human subjects to treat refractive errors, corneal ectasia, and corneal perforation and serve as a patch graft for glaucoma drainage devices with better cosmetic outcomes., Conclusion: SMILE-extracted lenticules could be a viable alternative to human donor corneal tissue., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

The zoonotic Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its resultant human coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recently appeared as a global health threat that can cause severe respiratory infection and terminal respiratory distress. By the first week of April, more than 1.3 million people had been globally infected and more than 70,000 had lost their lives to this contagious virus. Clinical manifestations occur shortly after exposure, or a few days later. There is controversy regarding the transmission of the virus through the tear and conjunctiva; however, there are reports that the ocular surface might be a potential target for COVID-19. The ease of transmission of this virus at close proximity presents a risk to eyecare workers. Several recommendations have been issued by local and national organizations to address the issue of safe ophthalmic practice during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These guidelines have numerous similarities; however, subtle differences exist. The purpose of this paper was to discuss measures, with a specific focus on standard precautions, to prevent further dissemination of COVID-19 at Eye Clinics. We have proposed procedures to triage suspected cases of COVID-19, considering emergency conditions., (Copyright © 2020, Author(s).)