Penetrating corneal grafts for infantile corneal opacity: a waste of time?

Abstract

Corneal transplantation surgery in an infant eye presents with a wide variety of problems ranging from the preoperative assessment to the postoperative follow-up. The presence of amblyopia and associated ocular pathologies significantly limits the visual outcomes. Thus, few years back corneal surgeons used to avoid penetrating grafts in an infant eye. However, vigilant case selection, advances in surgical techniques, and meticulous postoperative care has lead to an improvement in the overall outcomes. Thus, penetrating corneal grafts in an infant eye is no longer considered a waste of time rather it has become an invaluable tool for visual rehabilitation of infants with corneal opacity.