Keratoprostheses

Professor Christopher Liu spearheaded the introduction of the Osteo-Odonto-Keratoprosthesis (OOKP) Service in Brighton, a pioneering procedure that has dramatically transformed the lives of patients with end-stage corneal blindness. Having had the privilege of learning OOKP from the late Professor Falcinelli in Rome, Professor Liu brought this surgery to the UK. In 2006, the OOKP Service received central funding, allowing patients from across the UK and EU to access it. He has since trained teams and helped establish similar services across the globe, including in Japan, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and beyond. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded a PhD in 2022 for his thesis on the advancements he made with OOKP. Thanks to his relentless efforts, both the OOKP and ISBCS are now mainstream procedures worldwide. Currently, Professor Liu continues to follow his passion as a Consultant Ophthalmologist at the National Treatment Centre Highland in Inverness, specialising in cataract surgery and providing a cornea service that serves the entire Scottish Highlands. He also leads a refractive surgery practice at EuroEyes’ new flagship clinic in his native Hong Kong. Dr Venkata Sreenivasulu Avadhanam; MS, FRCS, FRCOphth, CertLRS Dr Avadhanam’s career in ophthalmology commenced in 2002 at the Regional Eye Hospital in Kurnool, India.  He then received further training as a specialist registrar in the UK, rotating through various University hospitals.  He undertook a fellowship in glaucoma in Cardiff.  He then completed further fellowships in Cornea and External Eye Disease and Keratoprosthesis in Brighton, UK where he met Professor Christopher Liu and in Nottingham where he was under the tutelage of Professor Harminder S Dua.  He has recently been working as a locum consultant ophthalmologist in various hospitals across the UK.  He also works as a consultant at Suseela Netralaya Eye Hospital in Kurnool, India. Dr Avadhanam has published numerous scientific papers in reputed peer-reviewed journals, spanning topics such as cornea, keratoprostheses, cataract and keratoconus. He has lectured in meetings the world over, including Austria, France, India, Japan, Portugal, Spain and Canada.  A fervent advocate for training and teaching his junior colleagues, he has conducted workshops in his adoptive country England for over a decade. Dr. Mehran Zarei-Ghanavati, MD, FICO, FRCOphth, MRCSEd, is an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. He completed fellowships in External Disease, Cataract, and Anterior Segment at Farabi Eye Hospital, and in Cornea and Artificial Keratoplasty at Sussex Eye Hospital in Brighton, UK, supported by the prestigious Helmerich Award from the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO). Dr. Zarei-Ghanavati was honored with the Peter Watson Award in 2011 for achieving the highest rank in the ICO exams. He has made substantial contributions to ophthalmology, with over 55 research papers, several book chapters, and a U.S. patent. He is also a recognized speaker at numerous international scientific conferences.

World corneal blindness.- Imperfections of cadaveric corneal transplantation.- Quest for an artificial corneal substitute.- Steps before considering a keratoprosthesis.- Scleral contact lens.- Stem cell transplantation.- Rationale and technique of selective corneal transplantation.- Indications and contraindications for keratoprostheses.- Choice of keratoprostheses.- The Boston KPro Type 1 and variants.- The osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis and variants.- Complications.- How to set up a service.- Psychological aspects.- Biomaterials and the future.