Thin Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (TMEK): An Introduction

Thin Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (TMEK) is a new term coined by the author (SJ) to refer to endothelial keratoplasty using the ultra-thin membranous DMEK and PDEK grafts. These are composed of endothelium transferred on the Descemet’s membrane (DM) alone (DMEK which is about 15 microns in thickness) or on a bed of the pre-Descemet’s layer (PDL) and DM (PDEK which is about 25–30 microns thick). Though DMEK and PDEK have significant differences, they also have various similarities which allow them to be clubbed together as TMEK.