Modified technique for corneal laceration repair using amniotic membrane

Abstract

Background Water-tight closure of lacerated corneal wounds may require a lot of sutures and result in significant corneal scarring and irregular astigmatism. Aim The aim of this study was to describe the technique of amniotic membrane (AM) onlay strip for corneal lacerations repair and to evaluate its outcome. Patients and methods This is a retrospective case series that included eight eyes with traumatic corneal lacerations. A strip of AM was applied to the corneal surface to cover the wound which was then sutured with 10/0 Nylon sutures involving the membrane. The sutures were well-spaced, and the suturing was avoided in the visual axis. Average keratometric (K) reading, keratometric astigmatism (KA), manifest refractive astigmatism (RA) in diopters (D), and spectacle or soft contact lens best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were assessed 2 months after suture removal. Results Transient postoperative hypotony was encountered in five cases (62.5%). The average K was 44.61±2.81 D, KA 2.20±0.71 D, and RA 1.78±0.73 D (range=1–3 D). The postoperative LogMAR BCVA was 0.39±0.18 (range=0.22–0.70). Conclusions The application of AM inlay strip during repair of corneal lacerations was associated with good visual outcome possibly due to the reduction of wound and suture related corneal astigmatism.

Keywords

• amniotic membrane
• astigmatism
• corneal laceration
• corneal wound