HEALTH & MEDICINE :: AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007
New Technique Provides Rapid Recovery & Superb Visual Results for Corneal Transplantation Patients
As an eye surgeon, corneal, cataract and refractive surgery are among my areas of expertise. In recent years I have seen tremendous advances in technology and surgical technique in both cataract and laser refractive surgery. I have welcomed and embraced these new advances, and over ten years ago became the first surgeon in Delaware to perform Laser Vision Correction and later was the first to bring NearVisionSM CK® for the correction of presbyopia (the need for reading glasses) to our state.
However, as a corneal transplant surgeon, I am aware that other than improvements in suturing techniques and tissue quality, little has changed in this surgery over the last 50 years. That is why I am excited to once again be the first to introduce a remarkable new technology to Delaware.
DSAEK (Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty) is a new technique that can greatly improve the quality of life for people suffering from certain corneal diseases, and is quickly becoming the new preferred technique for treating these visually disabling conditions in the finest centers around the world.
In order for vision to be clear, the cornea must be clear. Corneal disease can cause the cornea to become cloudy, preventing light from passing through. Corneal disease can be caused by a wide range of problems that can be present at birth or develop later in life. It can be the result of a traumatic injury, an infection, or merely a progressive deterioration of an inherited condition.
Conventional transplant requires extensive suture
DSAEK requires minimal sutures to the side of the cornea
Both conventional corneal transplantation techniques and DSAEK require a donor cornea. However, unlike conventional surgery which replaces the entire cornea, DSAEK re-places only the diseased posterior portion, allowing more rapid rehabilitation and fewer potential complications. Corneal diseases affecting the front surface of the cornea may still require the traditional full thickness procedure.
Using the conventional method, visual results are often unpredictable and vision can take years to stabilize. If a patient needs to have a second eye treated, they usually need to wait a long time until the first eye heals and any problems resolve. Perform-ed with new technology, DSAEK requires minimal suturing, provides more rapid visual restoration, less discomfort and a reduced risk of sight threatening complications as well as vision limiting irregularities, such as astigmatism. This makes DSAEK a very important advance in corneal transplantation surgery.
With DSAEK, the majority of patients are seeing 20/40 within six weeks after surgery. When both eyes require treatment, the second eye can be treated much earlier, often within weeks instead of months or years, a change that greatly improves the quality of life for these patients. The results are so superior, that I expect DSAEK will become the standard of care at many institutions and in the practice of many corneal specialists once it is more widely available. I have been fortunate that the manufacturer of the new instrumentation has made this technology available to me and my patients at The Center for Advanced Surgical Arts, the newest ophthalmic ambulatory surgery center in Wilmington.
Jeffrey B. Minkovitz, M.D., an ophthalmologist specializing in cataract surgery, laser vision correction, and corneal transplantation, practices at Eye Physicians & Surgeons in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Minkovitz is also on staff at Christiana Care. He received his B.A. Magna Cum Laude from Harvard University and his Medical Degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Minkovitz completed his internship at Harvard, his ophthalmology residency at Washington University, and his corneal fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins. He is board certified by The National Board of Medical Examiners and The American Board of Ophthalmology. As an Assistant Professor at the prestigious Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Minkovitz trained ophthalmology residents in surgical procedures, and was awarded the annual award for excellence in teaching. Dr. Minkovitz served as an investigator in the FDA clinical trials of the VISX Excimer laser, one of the pioneers and still the leader in laser vision correction technology. For six consecutive years, Dr. Minkovitz was awarded the distinction of Top Doc by a survey of his peers, for excellence in the field of Ophthalmology. An accomplished surgeon with over a decade of experience, Dr. Minkovitz is one of Delaware’s leading cataract surgeons and is noted for his care and dedication to his patients and as a physician who insists on being at the forefront of the latest technology.
Dr. Minkovitz is currently performing Cataract Surgery and Corneal Transplantation surgery at the Center for Advanced Surgical Arts, his new surgery center located in Wilmington, Delaware, as well as at the Glasgow Surgery Center and the Arsht Surgery Center of Christiana Care. For your personalized consultation, call Dr. Minkovitz at Eye Physicians & Surgeons, 1207 N. Scott Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19806. Phone: 302-652-3353.
