OCT aids transplant tissue evaluation

Dublin, CA-Carl Zeiss Meditec is donating a Visante OCT to the National Eye Bank Center for evaluating corneal tissue for transplant surgery.

The center, which processes corneas at a central facility in Memphis, TN, will use the device to exclude donor tissue compromised by LASIK or other refractive procedures.

Until now, tissue collection sites have been forced to rely on friends or family for medical history, which can lead to errors. With more than 1 million LASIK surgeries occurring in the United States each year, the pool of eligible donors is shrinking because LASIK weakens the cornea and increases the risk of graft failure.

In other news, Carl Zeiss Meditec's IOLMaster was recognized recently as the number one choice for axial length measurement in a survey of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery membership. The survey, conducted by Analeyz Inc., showed that 47% of cataract surgeons in the United States use the IOLMaster to measure axial length for cata-ract/IOL surgery, followed by applanation ultrasound techniques at 32%, and immersion ultrasound at 20%. Survey results were released in late November.