Berkeley Eye Center - Houston LASIK and Eye Care

Berkeley Eye Center - Houston LASIK and Eye Care

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CTAK: The Future of Keratoconus Treatment
  • Minimally invasive alternative to full corneal transplants.
  • Customized to your exact corneal anatomy.
  • Improves the fit and comfort of specialty contact lenses.
  • Performed by specialized cornea expert Dr. Daniel Anderson.
Schedule a CTAK Consultation Learn About Keratoconus

Berkeley Eye Center is proud to be among the elite practices in the country offering Corneal Tissue Addition Keratoplasty (CTAK). Led by cornea specialist Dr. Daniel Anderson, this revolutionary, minimally invasive procedure reshapes the cornea, improving vision and offering new hope for patients with keratoconus and corneal ectasia.

What is CTAK (Corneal Tissue Addition Keratoplasty)?

For decades, patients with advanced keratoconus—a condition where the cornea progressively thins and bulges into a cone shape—eventually faced the prospect of a full corneal transplant. Today, CTAK offers a groundbreaking alternative.

Corneal Tissue Addition Keratoplasty (CTAK) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that uses preserved, customized corneal tissue to physically flatten and reshape the keratoconic “cone.” By adding tissue rather than removing it, CTAK strengthens the cornea, improves its shape, and enhances visual clarity.

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How Does CTAK Work?

CTAK relies on cutting-edge imaging and precision laser technology.

  1. Reshaping: Once inserted, the tissue inlay acts as a structural scaffold, pushing down on the cone, flattening the cornea, and instantly improving its shape.
  2. Custom Mapping: We take highly detailed, 3D topographical scans of your eye to map the exact location and severity of your keratoconus.
  3. Tissue Customization: Using your unique scans, a specialized tissue bank uses a femtosecond laser to precision-carve a small inlay of preserved human corneal tissue perfectly matched to your eye’s needs.
  4. The Procedure: During a short, outpatient procedure, Dr. Anderson uses a laser to create a microscopic channel (or pocket) within your cornea. The customized CTAK tissue inlay is then gently guided into this pocket.
CTAK procedure

The Benefits of CTAK Surgery

CTAK is changing the landscape of corneal treatment because it offers significant advantages over traditional, more invasive surgeries:

  • Delays or Prevents Transplants: By stabilizing and reshaping the cornea, CTAK can significantly delay—or entirely eliminate—the need for a full penetrating keratoplasty (corneal transplant).
  • Minimally Invasive: The procedure requires no stitches, is performed entirely within the cornea, and has a much faster, more comfortable recovery time than a full transplant.
  • Better Vision & Contact Lens Fit: By flattening the steep cone of keratoconus, CTAK improves the optical surface of the eye. This not only improves vision but makes wearing scleral lenses or other specialty contacts significantly easier and more comfortable.
  • Additive, Not Destructive: Unlike older procedures that removed tissue from an already thinning cornea, CTAK adds tissue to reinforce and strengthen the eye.

Who is a Candidate for CTAK?

You may be an excellent candidate for CTAK if you:

  • Have been diagnosed with progressive keratoconus or post-surgical corneal ectasia.
  • Have a cornea that is too thin or steep for standard treatments.
  • Struggle to tolerate specialty contact lenses due to the steepness of your cornea.
  • Wish to avoid or delay a full corneal transplant.

During your consultation, Dr. Anderson will perform advanced diagnostic testing to determine if CTAK is the right path for your specific vision needs.

keratoconus surgeon Houston

Meet Your Houston CTAK Surgeon: Dr. Daniel Anderson

CTAK requires advanced surgical skill and specialized training in corneal disease. Dr. Daniel Anderson is a board-certified, fellowship-trained cornea specialist at Berkeley Eye Center and is among a select group of surgeons nationwide performing the CTAK procedure. His dedication to bringing the latest, most effective technologies to Houston ensures our keratoconus patients receive world-class care.

Meet Dr. Anderson

Frequently Asked Questions About CTAK

No, they are different but complementary procedures. Corneal cross-linking uses UV light and eye drops to halt the progression of keratoconus by stiffening the cornea. CTAK physically reshapes the cornea to improve vision. In many cases, a patient may undergo both procedures to achieve optimal results.

CTAK is an outpatient procedure that typically takes less than 30 minutes to perform. Because it is minimally invasive, patients get to go home the same day.

Yes, most patients will still need corrective lenses after CTAK. However, because the procedure dramatically flattens the cornea, it makes fitting specialty contact lenses (like scleral lenses) much easier and vastly improves your visual outcome while wearing them.

Yes. The tissue used in CTAK is sterile, preserved human corneal allograft tissue provided by heavily regulated, FDA-compliant eye banks. Because the tissue is placed within the cornea (which has no blood supply), the risk of rejection is incredibly low compared to full organ transplants.

Find Out if CTAK is Right For You

If you are struggling with keratoconus and are looking for advanced alternatives to a corneal transplant, Berkeley Eye Center is here to help.

Schedule a Consultation with Dr. Anderson