Emergency visits after keratoplasty in a tertiary eye care hospital in Saudi Arabia

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: Medical Cornea

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 3

First Author: : H.Al Ghadeer SAUDI ARABIA

Co Author(s): :    T. Almudhaiyan   M. Alarmy   R. Khandekar                 

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To determine the presenting complaints, the clinical presentation of patients after Keratoplasty, the number of emergency visits and the visual outcome.

Setting:

King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

Medical records of emergency visits by patients that underwent corneal grafts at King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between January 2013, and December 2013 were reviewed. Demographic data (age, gender) initial and final best-corrected visual acuities (BCVA), symptoms, anterior and posterior segment assessment, and preoperative diagnosis, and diagnosis at presentation to the emergency were reviewed.

Results:

117 emergency visits of 124 post-Keratoplasty patients were identified. The median age was 27.5± years (25% quartile 21 years) with 79 (63.7%) males. Pain in 48 (38.3%) and redness in 43 (34.9%) patients were the main symptoms. Emergency visit was a median of 1.6 years (25% quartile 0.7) after Keratoplasty. Graft rejection in 16 (13%), wound dehiscence in 14 (11.3%) and 63 (51 %) suture related causes for emergency visits. Microbial Keratitis was noted in 12 (9.7%) cases. The BCVA, at last, follow up was 20/20 to 20/60 in 69 (55.6%) of eyes. 16 patients had graft rejection.

Conclusions:

Patients should be counseled about symptoms and signs of postoperative complications and the need for prompt treatment.  Early recognition and intervention of any sight-threatening complications increase the chance of graft survival and improvement of vision.

Financial Disclosure:

None