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Combined procedure effective for severe unilateral ocular surface failure
Combined conjunctival limbal autografts and keratolimbal allografts with staged keratoplasty maintained long-term ocular surface stability and improved vision in patients with severe unilateral ocular surface disease and conjunctival deficiency, a study found.
The interventional case series analyzed 11 eyes of 11 patients who had chemical burns or combined chemical/thermal burns. Each patient had combined surgery followed by keratoplasty for residual corneal stromal scarring that limited visual acuity.
Best corrected visual acuity was 20/400 or worse in all eyes preoperatively. At final follow-up, a mean 35.8 months postoperatively, eight eyes had BCVA of 20/80 or better. In addition, the ocular surface was stable in nine eyes.
Ten eyes had additional penetrating keratoplasty, with six eyes experiencing success.
At a mean of 16 months, in patients who were followed for more than 2 years, systemic immunosuppression was discontinued.