Skip to Content
Office: 11290B PFPIowa City, IA 52242 Phone: +1 319 356 2861 Email: kenneth-goins@uiowa.edu
BA, Organismal and Systems Biology, The Univeristy of Tennessee at Knoxville, 1982MD, Medicine, The University of Kentucky in Lexington, 1986Internship, Internal Medicine, The University of Kentucky at Lexington, 1987Residency, Ophthalmology, The University of Kentucky at Lexington, 1990Fellowship, Cornea and External Disease, Duke University Eye Center at Durham, North Carolina , 1991
Primary: Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
cornea, deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK), Descemet, AlphaCor artificial cornea, Morcher black iris diaphragm aniridia intraocular lens, dry eye, Sjogren's, autologous serum (ASED), epithelial defect
Four major Cornea projects identified as areas of focus and priority by Dr. Goins to further advance ocular health are: 1. Endothelial keratoplasty (EK) 2. AlphaCor artificial cornea 3. Morcher black iris diaphragm aniridia intraocular lens 4. Autologous serum for the management of persistent corneal epithelial defects In December 2003, Dr. Goins performed the first deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) in Iowa. Since that time, our corneal service has performed approximately 100 DLEK procedures in an IRB approved study and we have collected a database of patient outcomes over a three-year period. This is the third largest DLEK data set to date and represents the largest collection of DLEK patients at an academic institution. We have improved our technique and now use Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK)1 and have performed over 100 of these procedures at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). In 2004, Dr. Goins implanted the first AlphaCor artificial cornea in Iowa to treat patients at high-risk for corneal transplant allograft rejection. Done in coordination with an IRB approved study, seven devices have been used in seven patients as of September 2006. Two of five patients who have completed stage II surgery, have obtained a vision of 20/40 or better with a piggyback contact lens system. To help those patients who are not good candidates for the AlphaCor device, Dr. Goins hopes to begin the use of the Dohlman-Doane keratoprosthesis in 2007. At the University of Chicago (2001), Dr. Goins was one of few investigators with IRB approval to use Morcher black iris diaphragm intraocular lenses for the management of congenital and traumatic aniridia and has continued this research at UIHC. Nine patients have been enrolled into an IRB approved study at UIHC and a formal Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) request has been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so as to continue this important research. With the assistance of Iowa Lions Eye Bank (ILEB) of which he is Medical Director, Dr. Goins was the first ophthalmologist at UIHC to formulate a system by which autologous serum eye drops (ASED) could be made to treat eye disease. Since April 2005, 38 patients with persistent epithelial defects of the cornea and severe dry eye from Sjogren's Syndrome, from all over the Midwest have benefited from ASED, which is only available in Iowa through UIHC.