title: Tarsorrhaphy for corneal disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: We report two patients with keratoconjunctivitis sicca and rheumatoid arthritis whose corneal surfaces regained their integrity following tarsorrhaphy when conservative therapeutic measures were unsuccessful. We suggest that tarsorrhaphy be considered early in the course of the disease in such patients when other measures have failed to arrest progressive thinning of the cornea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baum
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005143:Eyelids / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007638:Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors