The session will be a combination of a short didactic course and a wet lab. The didactic component will include the assessment of appropriate DMEK candidates, the preoperative evaluation needed to screen candidates and to preemptively plan for possible surgical issues, outline and details of the surgical procedure itself, the expected postoperative course and postoperative management including medication and follow-up regimen, possible complications encountered, their management, and techniques to avoid them. For the wet lab component, participants will apply this knowledge and demonstrate the ability to prepare a DMEK graft (either from pre-stripped eye bank tissue, or from a donor corneal rim), host preparation, graft injection, graft unscrolling, and air injection, to complete a successful DMEK procedure.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe appropriate candidates, the preoperative evaluation, the surgical procedure, the expected postoperative course, possible complications, their management and techniques to avoid them, for Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK)
  
• Describe and demonstrate the steps taken, either in the eye bank or by the corneal surgeon, to prepare a DMEK graft
  
• Describe and demonstrate the steps taken on the host to transplant a DMEK graft, including host Descemet's membrane stripping, graft injection and unscrolling, and modifications used in more complex eyes
  

CANMEDS ROLES: Medical Expert, Scholar

REGISTRATION

Advance registration is required.
Registration is open to cornea specialists, comprehensive ophthalmologists performing corneal transplants, cornea fellows, residents applying to cornea fellowships.
Maximum number of participants: 22
Fee: $250