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East Tennessee Lions Eye Bank (ETLEB) has received a matching grant from the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) to help purchase new and innovative equipment. This equipment, distributed by Moria Surgical, is called the DSAEK System. It enables ETLEB’s surgeons to perform a Endothelial Keratoplasty (EK).

EK is a surgical procedure in which descements and endothelium from a host cornea are removed and replaced with donor graft containing posterior stroma, descements membrane, and a high-density endothelium. The procedure is performed through a small side-of-the-eye incision that eliminates the need for sutures in the front of the eye.

In many cases, poor vision is the result of only a poorly functioning endothelium; the rest of the cornea is healthy and does not need replacing. In these cases, EK will better meet the needs of our patients who are suffering from endothelial dystrophies.

Other advantages of EK include faster recipient healing time, a decrease in complications arising from tissue preparation in the operating room, and less time in the operating room.