In this Episode 8 at SNEC x MEDI.CUE, I sat down with Prof Jodhbir S Mehta and asked him about something that honestly still blows my mind—how we can take an ultra-thin corneal graft (the kind I watched him insert during a corneal transplant) and deliver it safely into the eye through such a small incision. I told him I was mesmerized by how the tissue folds into the inner layer, and he broke down the “ideas into reality” process behind designing real surgical instruments for DSAEK/DMEK. What I took away is how practical innovation can be when you start from first principles. Prof Jod explained the core challenge—getting an 8 mm graft through a 5 mm (and later 2.7 mm) incision—and how brainstorming (even with non-ophthalmology friends) can lead to elegant solutions. He shared the development of the EndoGlide (first sold around 2009 as one of the early FDA-approved devices for corneal transplantation), and the data showing significantly less endothelial cell damage compared to forceps delivery (he quoted ~60% improvement). As techniques evolved to thinner, more fragile DMEK tissue, he redesigned forceps (e.g., 27-gauge) and even the chamber maintainer flow to reduce graft movement. The bigger message: make surgery easier, teach it properly, publish, and share—because the end goal is more surgeons adopting a technique that helps patients.