title: Corneal sensitivity after epikeratophakia.
abstract: Corneal sensitivity was tested in 60 eyes of 30 patients who underwent unilateral epikeratophakia for the correction of aphakia (20 patients) or keratoconus (10 patients). Postoperative recovery time ranged from 2 months to 21 months (mean: 10 months). Our results indicate a relative hypesthesia of the epikeratophakia lenticule when compared with the peripheral host cornea and contralateral control cornea. However, corneal sensitivity tested in 11 patients with more than 1 year follow-up was increased compared with the sensitivity of 19 patients whose postoperative recovery was less than 1 year. Histopathologic findings in two lenticules from a nonhuman primate demonstrated sparse epithelial axon terminals. Host corneal nerves appear to innervate the lenticules by intraepithelial extension and by penetration of the superficial keratectomy scar.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001035:Aphakia / Q000601:surgery*; D003315:Cornea / Q000294:innervation*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000601:surgery*; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000294:innervation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology