A successful alternative: Repair of a penetrating limbal wound by lamellar keratoplasty

PURPOSE. To report repair of a penetrating limbal wound by lamellar keratoplasty 1 year posttraumatically. METHODS. Interventional case report. RESULTS. A 5-year-old boy had a self-inflicted injury leading to a limbal penetrating wound. The wound closed spontaneously by prolapsed subconjunctival uveal tissue and no intervention was planned. One year later surgical closure of the defect was necessary, as the amount of prolapsed tissue had increased. After excising the prolapsed tissue the wound was closed with a lamellar corneal graft, resulting in a quiet and stable anterior segment and a best-corrected visual acuity of 20/16. CONCLUSIONS. Lamellar keratoplasty can be a useful technique to repair a limbal penetrating wound. Corneal allografts have adequate tensile strength, low immunogenicity, and are easy to obtain.