Florida Eye Specialists is now the first practice in North Florida to give patients the option of DMEK surgeries.
The first patient to undergo the procedure was Daniel Smith, 79. Action News Jax was there Wednesday when he went for his post-op checkup.
“I'm pretty sure I see improvement,” said Smith.
It’s been about four weeks since Smith underwent surgery to treat a rare genetic condition called Fuch’s dystrophy.
“It's still pretty disabling when you do have it. I probably do about 40-50 transplants a year,” said Dr. Akbar Hasan.
“This new procedure uses an even thinner amount of tissue, just the back lining, so it becomes minimally invasive, there's less risk of rejection,” said Hasan.
Smith has a very thin layer of donor tissue lining the back of his cornea now. An older technique required either a thicker layer or a full corneal transplant.
Hasan said to prepare for the surgery he traveled to the Netherlands, a country considered a hub for corneal procedures.
“I wanted to go there and get firsthand experience,” said Hasan.
Hasan said DMEK surgeries are now picking up in Florida and other parts of the country.
Smith said he’s glad he went through with it.
“No pain was involved; it's fascinating to say the least,” said Smith.
According to Hasan, it takes about three months for a patient to get their best vision following the surgery --a huge difference considering older techniques came with yearlong recovery periods.
Cox Media Group
