Wet-Peeling Technique of Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty With Hypotonic Water and Blunt Dissection for Healed Hydrops.

Abstract

PURPOSE: To describe the surgical technique and outcomes of "wet-peeling" deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) using sterile water and blunt dissection in cases with corneal scarring after healed corneal hydrops. METHODS: Manual DALK using a "wet-peeling" technique was performed in 20 eyes of 20 consecutive patients with healed corneal hydrops between June 2011 and October 2013. RESULTS: Intraoperative microperforations were encountered in 2 (10%) cases. None of the cases required conversion to penetrating keratoplasty. There was significant improvement in mean best-corrected visual acuity at the end of 24 months postoperatively (0.99 ± 0.30 logMAR vs. 0.20 ± 0.11 logMAR; P < 0.001). T..