Thermal wedge with penetrating keratoplasty to reduce high corneal cylinder.

I devised a new technique using a thermal wedge resection at the time of keratoplasty to reduce excessive amounts of corneal astigmatism. Surface cautery was used to draw this thermal wedge of corneal tissue into the area to be trephined, and removed at surgery from the patient's cornea. The final result was the same as combining a surgical tissue wedge resection with keratoplasty. This new technique has resulted in reduction of the astigmatic error by as much as 8.5 diopters.