Valley sees new eye procedure to solve problems with cornea

By Jon Moffett

The opthalmologist said the procedure is safer and more effective than a transplant.

WARREN — People who suffer from corneal problems now have a new treatment option that a local practitioner says is quicker and poses fewer complications.

Dr. James V. Martuccio, of Warren, recently performed the first successful Descemets Stripping Endothelial Keretectomy procedure in the tri-county area. He has been practicing ophthalmology in Warren for 18 years.

The procedure consists of the doctor’s stripping away unhealthy or damaged cells from the underside of the cornea and then transplanting healthy donor cells in their place.

It is a safer and more effective procedure than its predecessor, a complete corneal transplant, he explained. The new procedure takes 45 to 50 minutes.

“Think of it like a layered cake,” said Dr. Martuccio. “You have the icing on top, then your cake, maybe some filling in the middle, some more cake, and then crust at the bottom. If your problem is with the crust, there is no need to mess with the rest of it.”

Previously, patients who underwent corneal surgery had to have their entire cornea removed and replaced with donor tissue. Although this practice observed its 100th birthday in 2007, new technology has created alternative methods for the surgery.

A regular corneal transplant posed the threat of complications for the patient.

Some donor tissues created irregular shapes for the cornea due to the sutures, while others were rejected by the recipients’ bodies.

“If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that within five years [of the complete corneal transplant surgery] roughly 10 to 30 percent of patients experienced rejection,” Dr. Martuccio said. “It’s unusual to see someone 20 years out whose transplant was successful.”

The older procedure, which is still practiced, took much longer and the healing time was significantly longer.

Patients would go in for a routine checkup approximately three months after surgery but wouldn’t start to have improved vision for six months to a year after the procedure. With the DSEK procedure, the general healing time is between one and two months.

The DSEK procedure is also safer for the patient, Dr. Martuccio said. Instead of completely removing the cornea and having it replaced, recipients are only receiving a small amount of tissue, which is less likely to be rejected by the body.

Although the DSEK has been around for about 10-12 years, it has evolved as technologies and teachings improve. Dr. Martuccio is excited about bringing the procedure to the area and hopes that it will inspire others to introduce new procedures.

“We’re bringing world-class treatments to the community and making them available,” said Dr. Martuccio.

“By bringing this cutting edge technology to the area, people no longer have to go to Cleveland, Pittsburgh or Columbus.

“We have thousands of people in the tri-county area who have had the [corneal transplant] surgery, and it has failed. Maybe they don’t want to do it again,” he added.

“A lot of older people can’t make the trip. With the [DSEK] procedure, it will be simpler for those people. To be able to do this and have it done locally is a big help. It’s a very, very neat option.”

Dr. Martuccio hopes that even more people will consider it as an option. “We’re just trying to get people aware,” Dr. Martuccio added. “It really is an amazing, amazing procedure.”