Allograft conjunctival transplantation for bilateral ocular surface disorders

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Transplantation immunology

Background:

• Severe bilateral ocular surface disorders pose significant challenges to vision and ocular health.
• Current treatment options may have limitations in restoring corneal integrity and function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of allogenic conjunctival transplantation for bilateral ocular surface disorders.
• To investigate the correlation between human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching and transplantation outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 12 eyes from 10 patients with various bilateral surface disorders.
• Retrospective HLA typing and cross-matching were performed for eight patient-donor pairs.
• Outcomes evaluated included corneal epithelial stabilization, visual acuity, and rejection episodes.

Main Results:

• 91.6% of eyes showed improved visual acuity, corneal transparency, and reduced photophobia after 17.2 months.
• Three patients experienced rejection episodes, with two having highly incompatible HLA donor-recipient pairs.
• Favorable outcomes were observed in patients with HLA-identical or haplo-identical donor-recipient pairs.

Conclusions:

• HLA-matched allogenic conjunctival transplantation is an effective treatment for severe bilateral ocular surface disorders.
• The procedure demonstrates a low complication rate when HLA compatibility is considered.