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Artificial iris or artificial cornea: A tale of two protheses | Eversight webinar recap

Dr. Omar led us on a journey describing applications of two prostheses used by corneal surgeons: the artificial iris and the artificial cornea

Aug 9, 2022 — Michael Szkarlat, Senior Partner Development Director

We were joined by Ahmed Omar, MD, PhD, of University Hospital Eye Institute at Case Western Reserve University for our July 2022 webinar. Dr. Omar led us on a journey describing applications of two prostheses used by corneal surgeons: the artificial iris and the artificial cornea. 

He begins with a brief description of the history of artificial iris implantation ending with FDA approval of the CustomFlex artificial iris. This is followed by a detailed discussion of the types of CustomFlex iris, the device characteristics, indications for use, contraindications for use, preoperative considerations and implantation techniques. 

Dr. Omar describes the current use case for an artificial cornea and where it fits into the current transplant environment. He provides an overview of the types of keratoprotheses on the market before diving deep into the preoperative considerations, surgical implantation, postoperative management and potential complications when using the Boston type-1 K-pro, including diagrams and videos 

He closes by presenting two cases he is currently managing and polls the audience for input on how to proceed with their care. 

Key takeaways include:



 

Dr. Omar specializes in the management of complex corneal conditions including complex transplant procedures. He has performed complex cases in both the United States and in Egypt where he started a government-sponsored program to do corneal transplants for underprivileged people at Assuit University Hospital in Egypt. He also taught Egyptian colleagues to perform transplants during this time. Dr. Omar now serves on the cornea service at University Hospital Eye Institute at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. 

Eversight's free webinars are a great way for you to connect, learn and train digitally with leading ophthalmologists and researchers from around the world. We invite you to RSVP for scheduled webinars and browse our recording library.

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About the author

Michael Szkarlat, Partner Development Director

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Michael has been with Eversight since 2016 and has recently worked to develop Eversight's educational wet lab programs for EK surgery and a standardized protocol for DALK practice in a wet lab setting. His eye banking experience is rooted in the preparation of corneal grafts and spent nearly five years as Eversight’s Medical Director designee in charge of training clinical team members to prepare corneal tissue for DMEK and DSAEK surgery. In his time at Eversight, Michael has presented at scientific conferences, been involved in clinical research and developed innovations in tissue processing. He was named an IAPB Eye Heath Hero in the innovations category. Michael is passionate about community-based eye banking and honoring the precious gift that is donation. When not at work, he enjoys traveling with his wife and baking artisan sourdough bread.
 
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