Aspects of Corneal Transplant Immunology

Eduard Zirm performed the first successful allogeneic corneal transplant in 1905,[1] making this corneal graft a pioneering event in early organ transplantation.[2] Despite this long history, our knowledge of corneal immune function and graft rejection pathophysiology and its prevention are lagging in comparison to solid organ transplantation. This is, to some extent, due to a misunderstanding of the concept of corneal immune privilege, which is considered an unbreakable rule.