Indications for keratoepithelioplasty

Thirteen patients with ocular surface failure were treated by keratoepithelioplasty using allografts of corneal limbal epithelial cells from donor eyes. The ocular surface was stabilized with long-term healing of persistent epithelial defects in five of eight eyes followed up for 4 to 19 months. The procedure was performed on an additional 5 patients with superficial keratopathies. Three of those five procedures resulted in a stable and clear optical surface. These results suggest that epithelial transplantation may be a useful option in the care of chronic ocular surface failure unresponsive to conventional medical management.