Clinical Evaluations of Penetrating Keratoplasty in Aphakic Bullous Keratopathy

ABSTRACT

We analysed a retrospective study of 22 aphakic bullous keratopathy patients (22 eyes) with penetrating keratoplasty for 5 years from January 1987 to December 1991 in the Department of Ophthalmology at St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College. The results were as follows; 1. Of the 22 eyes with aphakic bullous keratopathy 16 eyes (72.7%) had previously undergone intracapsular cataract extraction, 6 eyes (27.3%) had extracapsular cataract extraction. 2. The mean time from cataract extraction to aphakic bullous keratopathy to penetrating keratoplasty was 13.8 months. 3. After keratoplasty, the visual acuity of 20 among the 22 transplants (90.9%) were significantly improved compared to the preoperative levels, however that of 2 among the 22 transplants were worse than the preoperative levels. The factors limiting postoperative visual acuity were senile macular degeneration and graft failure. 4. Postoperative complications were glaucoma (2 eyes, 9.1%), cystoid macular edema (1 eye, 4.6%) and graft failure (1 eye, 4.6%).