Mastering Dalk: A Video Textbook on Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty

Due to its instantaneous and visible results for patients both anatomically and visually, anterior lamellar keratoplasty is a field of great interest to corneal surgeons. Newer techniques of DALK, femtosecond assisted DALK, TILK, and more have inherent advantages that make them supersede older techniques of keratoplasty by far.

Mastering DALK: A Video Textbook on Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty by Dr. Soosan Jacob combines the practical explanation of written text with the dynamic demonstration of surgical videos.

From pre-operative to post-operative patient management and every surgical technique in between, this unique book and its included video website is a complete education on DALK. This includes the history and basics of lamellar keratoplasty, as well as tutorials on various surgical techniques currently in use, advice for complex situations, and management of possible complications.

Each chapter includes high-quality photographs and illustrations and is paired with videos on the accompanying website to demonstrate techniques and provide step-by-step instructions. The surgeries in these videos are performed and narrated by the same team of leading international experts who have also written all of the clinical tips, tricks, and pearls of wisdom throughout the book.

Some videos include:

• Retrieving the Lost Bubble
• DALK Surgery with Type 1 Big Bubble
• Groove Peel DALK
• Femtosecond Laser Assisted DALK
• SMILE Away a Dermoid

Any surgeon looking to add anterior lamellar keratoplasty to their practice will appreciate the digestible nature of Mastering DALK: A Video Textbook on Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty, which provides both the crucial detail of a book and the irreplaceable value of visual demonstration.

Soosan Jacob, MS, FRCS, DNB, MNAMS is Director and Chief, Dr. Agarwal’s Refractive and Cornea Foundation (DARCF) and Senior Consultant, Cataract and Glaucoma Services, Dr. Agarwal’s Group of Eye Hospitals, Chennai, India. She is a noted speaker, widely respected for her innovative techniques and management of complex surgical scenarios. She conducts courses and delivers lectures in numerous national and international conferences; has been the recipient of Intraocular Implant and Refractive Society of India Special Gold Medal, Journal of Refractive Surgery (JRS) Waring Medal for Editorial Excellence, International Society of Refractive Surgery (ISRS) Kritzinger Memorial award, Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians Innovator’s award, European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) John Henahan Award for Young Ophthalmologist, American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) International Ophthalmologist Education award, AAO International Scholar award, AAO Achievement award, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Top-Gun Instructor award, Uttarakhand State Ophthalmological Society gold medal, AM Gokhale award and oration, Bruce Jackson oration, Harold Stein Innovator lecture, of ASCRS Golden Apple award two times. In addition, she has won more than 50 prestigious international awards for her surgical videos on her innovations and challenging cases at prestigious international conferences in the United States and Europe. She has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, more than 200 chapters in 34 textbooks, and is editor for 17 ophthalmology textbooks and reviewer for many prestigious journals. She is Chair of the Multimedia Editorial Board American Academy of Ophthalmology-International Society of Refractive Surgery, associate editor--Journal of Refractive Surgery, Section Editor (Refractive Surgery)--EyeNet (American Academy of Ophthalmology, is on the editorial board of International Journal of Ophthalmology, EyeNet (AAO), EuroTimes, International Journal of Keratoconus and Ectatic Corneal Diseases, Ocular Surgery News-Asia Pacific, Glaucoma Today, Cataract & Refractive Surgery Today Europe, Journal of Ophthalmic Science and Research, and Ophthalmology & Therapy, and is a member ISRS Executive Committee.

She has special interest in cutting-edge cataract, cornea, glaucoma, complex anterior segment reconstruction, and refractive surgery. Her innovations, many of which have won international awards, include: anterior segment transplantation, where cornea, sclera, artificial iris, pupil, and intraocular lens are transplanted en bloc for anterior staphyloma; suprabrow single-stab incision ptosis surgery to enhance postoperative cosmesis; turnaround techniques for false channel dissection during Intacs (Addition Technology, Inc) implantation; glued endocapsular ring, glued capsular hook, and the paper clip capsule stabilizer for subluxated cataracts; stab incision glaucoma surgery (SIGS) as a guarded filtration surgery technique; contact lens-assisted corneal cross-linking (CACXL) for safely cross-linking thin keratoconic corneas; endo-illuminator-assisted Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, air pump-assisted pre-Descemet’s endothelial keratoplasty, and host Descemetic scaffolding for easier and better surgical results; presbyopic allogenic refractive lenticule (PEARL) inlay for treating presbyopia, corneal allogeneic intrastromal ring segment (CAIRS) for keratoconus and other corneal ectasias; the Jacob modified technique for pre-Descemetic deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) as a primary treatment for acute hydrops; sutureless small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) lenticule-assisted resurfacing with interface tattooing for limbal dermoid and peripheral corneal scars; and white ring sign and the sequential segmental terminal lenticular side cut dissection for safe and effective lenticule extraction in SMILE surgery. She has proposed a new classification of Descemet’s membrane detachments into rhegmatogenous, tractional, bullous, and complex detachments with a suitable treatment algorithm and a new technique of relaxing descemetotomy for tractional Descemet’s detachment.

Her surgeries and surgical techniques have often been Editor’s Choice in prestigious international ophthalmic websites, such as AAO/ONE network, ISRS, and Eyetube. She has two popular bimonthly columns, ＂Complications in Cataract and Refractive Surgery＂ and ＂Everything You Want to Know About＂ in the prestigious EuroTimes magazine published by ESCRS. She is also the first surgeon internationally to be featured in a dedicated webpage by the EuroTimes. She has her own surgical educational YouTube channel, Dr. Soosan Jacob, with more than 8000 subscribers. Her video blog ＂Journey into the Eye--A Surgeon’s Video Blog＂ in the prestigious Ocular Surgery News, USA and her Facebook pages also feature her surgical videos. Dr. Jacob is senior faculty for training postgraduate, fellowship, and overseas doctors.

Her life and work have been featured on the Ocular Surgery News cover page, ＂5Q＂ interview (prestigious Cataract and Refractive Surgery Today [CRST]), ＂Sound Off＂ column (CRST), and ＂One Day in the Life of...＂ (CRST). She is also the first researcher internationally to be interviewed in the prestigious CRST ＂Researcher’s Column.＂