LAHORE: The College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences (COAVS), Lahore, has successfully completed five cornea transplant surgeries.

These surgeries, which were performed on June 20 at the Institute of Ophthalmology, Mayo Hospital, Lahore, notably included the first Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK) on a young patient with keratoconus, marking a significant milestone in the institution’s 60-year history.

A spokesperson for the institute said the feat was made possible by the leadership of Prof Dr Muhammad Moin, the vision of “Free Public Health Services” of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the support of Dr Fawad Zafar and Mir & Zafar Foundation, who provided donated corneas free of charge.

Under the supervision of Prof Moin, Dr Sidra Latif performed DALK for the first time in the history of the institution. This advanced technique is used specifically for patients with keratoconus (a defect in the structure of the cornea), in which only the outer layers of the cornea (Epithelium and Stroma) are replaced.

The patients involved in the surgeries ranged from a 14-year-old to a 66-year-old.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2025