The corneal transplantation is an effective option for visually impaired patients with keratopathy to restore vision function. However, the success rate of allograft keratoplasty is still very low for those patients with end-stage ocular surface or repeated corneal graft rejection. For those patients, artificial keratoplasty might be a promising alternative option. The efficacy and advantages of artificial keratoplasty have been gradually highlighted, after consistent improvement of the product design and implantation procedure. Nowadays, the Boston type I (collar button) corneal prosthesis is the most widely used product around the world. In this review, the history, indications, postoperative complications and future prospect of Boston type I corneal prosthesis will be summarized.
