SPOTLIGHT
Year of Cornea
Laying the foundations for future advancements in treating corneal disease
In the 1950's Wills Eye Hospital pioneered the clinical concentration in the science and treatment of the cornea. Prior to subspecialization, corneal disease was treated alongside a variety of other conditions. In the intervening 70 years, this focus on the intricacies of corneal anatomy and health have empowered patients to overcome sight-threatening cornea conditions with novel medicines, devices, and surgical techniques.
Today, and over the course of this entire year, the Cornea Service is calling upon its devoted patients and colleagues to position the Service and Wills Eye Hospital for the next 70 years of unparalleled, groundbreaking achievements.
Center for Complex Corneal Disease
Diseases such as Fuchs, lattice, and granular corneal dystrophies, herpes simplex and herpes zoster keratitis, neurotrophic keratitis, severe ocular surface disease, and malpositioned/dislocated intraocular lenses require a high level of expertise, care, and focus to successfully treat them. Our department is one of the largest in the United States and treats thousands of patients each year from around the world. This high level of experience, as well as immediate proximity to our other subspecialties, allow us to optimally manage these diseases.
Corneal Transplant Center
The transplantation of corneal tissue is an exacting and delicate process. Skilled case planning, graft positioning, suturing, and post-surgical management are critical factors in graft success and avoiding complications. Our department performs hundreds of corneal transplants each year and maintains close relationships with donor tissue organizations.
Center for Ocular Infections
When organisms invade the cornea, it is often difficult to effectively eradicate them to avoid damage and loss of vision. Our team of Cornea subspecialists focuses on treating infections from a variety of pathogens including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites such as acanthamoeba. We provide an urgent care setting for patients suffering from emergent cornea infections and needing immediate care and relief.
RESEARCH INITIATIVES
CLINICAL TRIALS
At Wills Eye, we believe that it is vital to enable our large and varied patient population to participate in the advancement of scientific knowledge. The development of new medicines, devices, and surgical techniques requires careful and exacting data collection that is used to determine safety and efficacy. Our Cornea clinician scientists partner with industry and our patients to help create the future solutions to today's challenges.
Year of Cornea Events
(Click on the links below to learn more)
Honoring Peter Laibson, MD; Elisabeth Cohen, MD; and Christopher Rapuano, MD
Leadership in Cornea Education & Training
Cornea specialists from Wills Eye are world-renowned for their leadership in education and their generous sharing of research and knowledge. From key roles in professional societies to presentations at major medical conferences, these experts provide the latest information and insights related to cornea, refractive, and anterior segment that will protect patients' vision.
24th Biennial Cornea Conference
October 20-21, 2023
Wills Eye Cornea faculty and guests will present current concepts in cornea, refractive surgery, and external disease. Highlights include the 17th Wilfred E. Fry Memorial Corneal Lecture by Nicole Fram, MD. Information: cme@willseye.org.
Our service trains 3 clinical fellows and 1 research fellow every year. We believe our clinical fellowship is among the strongest in the nation. On the Cornea Service, we see about 400 patients a week, and our clinical fellows participate in the evaluation and treatment of the majority of these patients. Each fellow typically graduates with over 100 corneal transplants as primary surgeon, and our fellowship graduates are extremely well-trained to medically and surgically treat a broad spectrum of corneal disease. Our research fellow is usually an international graduate who joins our Service from abroad for a year to collaborate on research projects with our faculty.
Wills Eye
Cornea Service Leaders
Cornea by the Numbers
1,600 Patients/
Month
Month
450 Corneal Transplants/Year
600+ Cataract Surgeries/Year