title: Indications and outcome of optical partial thickness lamellar keratoplasty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To review the indications and outcome of optical partial thickness lamellar keratoplasty (LKP) over a 22-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is a retrospective review of 138 eyes of 126 patients. Snellen visual acuity, preoperative clinical condition, and postoperative clinical status were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postoperative follow-up ranged from 1 month to 174 months (average, 34.5). In descending order of frequency, climatic droplet keratopathy, infectious keratitis scar, and band-shaped keratopathy were the most common indications for surgery. Follow-up records were available for 130 eyes; 93% of grafts remained transparent. One hundred eyes (80%) preoperative measured Snellen acuity of 6/60 or less. Postoperatively, only 20 eyes (13.4%) were assessed as worse than 6/60. Mean best-corrected visual acuity postoperative was 0.58 +/- 0.24. Twenty-two eyes (16.9%) demonstrated postoperative visual acuity of better than 6/12. Complications included presumed rejection in two eyes, nonhealing epithelial defect in two eyes, and graft infection in seven eyes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vision gain following LKP is generally moderate (visual acuity, 6/18-6/12) in the majority of eyes (61.5%). Vision-threatening complications are low (6.9%). There is scope for reducing complications like postoperative infections and improving visual gain through deep lamellar keratoplasty.
authors.affiliation: Cornea and External Diseases Section, Advanced Eye Center (Department of Ophthalmology), Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160 012, India. jssainichd@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Jagjit S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: Arun K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Jaspreet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sukhija
authors.forename: Vandana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Saroha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*