SUTURELESS CORNEAL TRANSPLANTATION APPARATUS AND METHOD

摘要

This invention is an apparatus and method for preparing a cornea of a donor eye and transplanting it into a recipient eye with minimal or no sutures. The donor material is outlined and cut to a circular extent with symmetrically positioned tabs (24), preferably diamond shaped, extending radially from the periphery (18) of the central extent (16) and with the tabs being composed of only the Bowman's membrane (28) as a continuation of the Bowman's membrane of the central extent. The recipient eye (10) is cut with a trephine to form a circular aperture (38) in the cornea at its central portion, the circular aperture being of a size and shape essentially that of the periphery of the central extent of the donor material, the aperture being of a common thickness at the periphery of the aperture, the central portion having a corresponding number of symmetrically positioned pockets (46). The central extent of the donor material is positioned within the aperture of the recipient eye, and then the tabs of the central extent are imbricated into the respective pockets of the recipient eye, thereby securing the transplanted donor cornea into the recipient eye.