Topical Anesthesia for Closed PKP vs Retrobulbar Anesthesia for Open-sky PKP

Plain-language summary

Penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) is an open-sky surgery that fundamentally has not changed for more than 100 years. Because conventional PKP is associated with the potential for the development of devastating complications such as expulsive suprachoroidal hemorrhage and endophthalmitis, we modified the technique to one that is a closed surgery under topical anesthesia with the anterior chamber maintained to achieve favorable results. Topical anesthesia is an attractive alternative to traditional injection local anesthesia since the potentially serious complications associated with retrobulbar and peribulbar anesthesia can be avoided. The closed PKP procedure with the stable anterior chamber essentially changes the open nature of conventional PKP. The advantages, i.e., decreased surgical risks, postoperative complications, and surgical difficulties, make PKP viable in most complicated cases.

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