Service Milestone
Melbourne’s first Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty
As we look back on 30 years of the Lions Eye Donation Service, it’s a chance to celebrate some of the advances in corneal surgery, like Melbourne’s first Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK).
The revolutionary Melbourne first of Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) was a huge milestone for everyone involved.
The lamella grafting technique, DSAEK, was first performed in Melbourne by Dr Rasik B Vajpayee, at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital in 2007.
About Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK)
DSAEK is a partial thickness cornea transplant procedure that requires the delicate removal of a patient’s Descemet membrane and endothelium from their eye.
This is followed by a delicate donor corneal endothelium transplant to the eye, along with a donor corneal stroma.
About the procedure
The technique required careful tissue preparation at the operating table by Dr Rasik B Vajpayee.
To combat the time required to cut the tissue, and to improve services, Melbourne moved towards a pre-cut tissue service, providing Victoria’s first pre-cut tissue to a Vajpayee patient in 2009.