Conjunctival Limbal Autograft Combined with Amniotic Membrane Transplantation to Treat a Moderate Chemical Eye Injury

Abstract

Abstract:A 25-year-old male patient presented at the clinic with chemical trauma to the left eye. His visual acuity according to Snellen chart measurement was 0.05/10 in the left eye and 10/10 in the right eye. On slit lamp examination, conjunctival hyperemia and limbal ischemia were observed between the 1 o’clock and 6 o’clock hours (approximately 5 clock hours). The cornea was edematous in this area, and a corneal epithelial defect adjacent to the limbal ischemia area was present. The anterior chamber, iris, and lens were normal; the fundus could not be concurrently evaluated. Conjunctivalization and excessive neovascularization were observed in the limbal ischemic area at the end of the fourth week of medical treat-ment. Visual acuity in the left eye was 0.3 and the epithelial defect had healed. At the end of the sixth week, a conjunctival limbal autograft (CLAU) combined with amniotic membrane (AM) transplantation surgery was performed. Subsequently, the corneal neovascularization was noted to have completely vanished in the ischemic area where the CLAU and AM transplantation were performed. Visual acuity improved to 0.7 and the symptoms of the patient decreased.