What is DALK eye surgery?
DALK (Deep Anterior
Lamellar Keratoplasty) is one of the newer forms of corneal
transplants. When the first truly successful cornea transplants were developed
in the 1960s, they were Full Thickness (called Penetrating Keratoplasty).
The entire central corneal was removed and replaced, whether the reason for the
transplant was a problem on the back (the endothelium) or the front (an
anterior scar for example). While far better than anything available
before, they took a very long time to heal and stabilize. DALK removes and
replaces just the anterior part of the cornea. So it provides faster visual
rehabilitation and less chance of rejection.
