Prescription patterns in DMEK: European survey

Purpose: – To assess current prescription patterns in Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in Europe. Setting: – Countries affiliated with the European Cornea and Cell Transplantation Registry and the European Vision Institute Clinical Research Network. Design: – Cross-sectional study (European survey). Methods: – An electronic survey was distributed to 16 national societies to gather data on prescription patterns for DMEK. Responses were categorized by 3 clinical goals: prevention of postoperative endophthalmitis, graft rejection, and pupillary block and glaucoma. Results: – Responses from 136 surgeons revealed that medication protocols mainly came from departmental protocols (54%) or personal experiences (48%) rather than national guidelines (22%) (multiple answers were allowed). Infection prevention primarily relied on intraoperative (72%) and postoperative (92%) antibiotics, with preoperative use less common (18%). Steroids were the mainstay for rejection prevention, used intraoperatively (59%), postoperatively (100%), and occasionally preoperatively (13%). Steroids were typically tapered to once daily after 6 months (46%) and discontinued after varying durations (65%). Dexamethasone was the preferred steroid. For high-risk DMEK, the most common approach was adding another topical (30%) or systemic immunosuppressive drug (24%), such as cyclosporine or mycophenolate. For graft rejection, most respondents increased topical steroid frequency (85%) or added (peri)bulbar steroid injections (42%). Pupillary block and glaucoma prophylaxis mainly involved intraoperative mydriatics (34%); intraocular pressure–lowering agents were rarely used (0.7% to 2.2%). For steroid-induced ocular hypertension, the common approach was switching to a lower-potency steroid (40%) or reducing steroid frequency (43%). Conclusions: – Current prescription patterns in routine and high-risk DMEK vary significantly, reflecting the lack of standardized guidelines.