RMLEB leadership and staff participate in ongoing research and publications that advance scientific knowledge and clinical practice to help others overcome blindness. Below are some of the recent publications.
Comparison of Corneal Endothelial Cell Density and Morphology Eye Banking and Corneal Transplantation, 2023 Purpose: Optisol-GS and Life4C are corneal storage media used by eye banks worldwide. We sought to determine whether either solution was associated with superior corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) or morphology in a large cohort of donor corneas.
Assymetrical Injector for Endothelium-In DMEK Without the Need of Pull-Through Technique BMJ Open Ophthalmology, 2023 Purpose: One of latest surgical development of preloaded Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) is the delivery of the graft with the endothelium inwards, which allows for a very fast operation, but requires a pull-through surgical technique. Although the tri-folded, endo-in DMEK technique has significant advantages, the absence of proper surgical instruments that could allow their use without the ‘pull-through’ technique still restricts the wide use of such an operation. None of the available commercial DMEK injectors could be used for tri-folded DMEK (endothelium-inward) orientation, as it requires the graft to be intently secured within the injector. This report presents a retrospective eye bank validation study of an asymmetrical injector designed to orientally implant a tri-folded DMEK graft without needing a pullthrough technique
Alcohol Abuse is Associated with Alterations in Endothelial Cell Morphology Cornea, 2022
Purpose: Alcohol consumption is highly prevalent throughout the world. We sought to detect, in a large sample of cornea donors, whether alcohol abuse is associated with changes in corneal endothelial morphology after accounting for other comorbidities including tobacco use. Lohmeier, John; Terrin, Staci; Eghrari, Allen Omid
Viability of Preloaded Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Grafts with 96-hour Shipment BMJ, 2021
Objective: To assess feasibility and compare the effects of 96-hour shipment of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) grafts as a scroll or a tri-fold on cell viability. Chen, Conan; Solar, Steven Jared; Lohmeier, John; Terrin, Staci; Baliga, Satya; Gold Wiener, Batya; Schouten Lewis, Daniel; Chiang, Eric; Barnes, Kali Alexandra; Chaurasia, Akash; Eghrari, Allen Omid
Comparison of Tri-folded and Scroll-based Graft Viability in Preloaded Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Cornea, 2019
Purpose: To compare corneal endothelial damage associated with 2 techniques for preloaded Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK): a tri-folded graft stored in a plastic cartridge designed for DMEK and a scrolled graft stored in a modified Jones Tube, at the time of preparation and after shipping. Barnes, Kali; Chiang, Eric; Chen, Conan; Lohmeier, John; Christy, Jason; Chaurasia, Akash; Rosen, Allison; Vora, Parth; Cai, Stephanie; Subramanya, Anshul BS; Durr, Nicholas; Allen, Robert; Eghrari, Allen Omid
Viability of Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Grafts Folded in the Eye Bank Cornea, 2018
Purpose: Preloaded, trifolded grafts in Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty require transfer of the trifolding process from the corneal transplant surgeon to the eye bank technician. We sought to assess whether trifolding may be safely conducted by an eye bank technician with cell loss comparable to standard peeling and lifting. Lohmeier, John; Christy, Jason; Chiang, Eric; Barnes, Kali; Cai, Stephanie; Chen, Conan; Subramanya, Anshul; Chaurasia, Akash; Rosen, Allison; Vora, Parth; Durr, Nicholas J.; Allen, Robert; Eghrari, Allen Omid
Residual Ethanol Content of Donor Sclera After Storage in 95% Ethanol and Saline Rinse of Various Durations American Journal of Ophthalmology, 1999
Purpose: Some surgeons are wary of using alcohol-preserved sclera for allografts because they fear a toxic effect on surrounding tissue after placement. We set out to determine the amount of ethanol remaining in scleral allograft material after storage in 95% ethanol. Enzenauer, Robert W; Sieck, Eric A; Vavra, Dean E; Jacobs, Edmond P