Symposium on the Cornea: Transactions of the New Orleans Academy of Ophthalmology.

Abstract

In the early days of corneal research, a numbingly long delay existed between the report of the original laboratory concept and its eventual clinical use. For example, in 1824, Reisinger first told the medical community of removing a piece of cornea from a rabbit and then replacing the same piece, which stayed transparent. One could say this was, at least conceptually, the first corneal transplant. However, the world had to wait almost 90 years before Zirm achieved the first successful human penetrating keratoplasty. It then took another 25 years before human cadaver corneas were used on patients. Or consider the subject of keratoprosthesis. In 1856, Nussbaum unsuccessfully attempted to place a glass corneal implant in a patient. More than 100 years had to pass before the first successful keratoprosthesis was implanted. As you can see, in the good old days an ophthalmologist could do his professional reading leisurely. After all,