Conjunctival flaps revisited

Thirty-three patients received a conjunctival flap for corneal diseases recalcitrant to medical therapy. Twenty-five of them received a total hood flap, and eight a partial conjunctival flap. Persistent corneal ulceration secondary to treated bacterial or viral ulcers accounted for more than 50% of these cases. Eleven of the 33 patients had undergone prior penetrating keratoplasty and received conjunctival flaps when the grafts completely failed despite medical management. Nine of the 33 underwent penetrating keratoplasty an average of 14.8 months following the flap procedure; the visual acuity of eight of these patients improved.