A modified artificial anterior chamber for use in refractive keratoplasty.

We devised a modified artificial anterior chamber that enables Barraquer microkeratome keratectomies on corneas preserved in McCarey-Kaufman medium. It consists of a hydraulic system, which creates a positive pressure of 60 mm Hg or more. An added rotating ring serves as a base to the microkeratome's tracks and varying diameters of lamellar sections can be obtained. This device allows the surgeon to use readily available corneas with scleral rims preserved in McCarey-Kaufman medium rather than whole eyes to obtain precise lamellar sections.