Modified surgical technique for autologous conjunctival transplantation after corneal alkali burn [Modifizierte Technik zur Autologen Bindehauttransplantation nach Hornhautveratzung]

Background: A modified conjunctival plastic for the treatment of unilateral alkali burn is presented. This procedure is aimed at both reconstructing the limbal region while eliminating the symblephara, thus allowing free ocular motility and partial recovery of corneal transparency. Patients and Methods: Two patients suffering from unilateral alkali burn underwent a conjunctival plastic according to a technique modified from Kenyon. Preoperatively, both patients exhibited a fully vascularized, scarred cornea as well as extensive symblephara. By transplanting both limbal and bulbar autologous conjunctiva from the healthy eye to the injured one, it was possible in the two cases to reestablish the limbal and fornix anatomy. Results: Postoperatively, free bulbar motility was achieved in both cases, while vision improved substantially only in the adult, not amblyopic patient who could obtain an uncorrected visual acuity of 0.05. Conclusion: The modified conjunctival plastic employed in the two cases reported herein led to excellent anatomic results while allowing partial recovery of corneal transparency and improvement of vision.