ISSN 2757-8135 | E-ISSN 2757-9816
Simple limbal epithelial transplantation in limbal stem cell deficiency after chemical eye injury [Eur Eye Res]
Eur Eye Res. 2021; 1(1): 47-52 | DOI: 10.14744/eer.2021.81300

Simple limbal epithelial transplantation in limbal stem cell deficiency after chemical eye injury

Barbaros Hayrettin Unlu, Canan Aslı Utine, Ismet Durak
Department of Ophthalmology, Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey

To present a pediatric patient with unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) after acetone burn, managed by simple stem cell transplantation simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET) surgery and to review the literature on limbal stem cell transplantation techniques. A 12-year-old boy was admitted to the emergency department for acetone burn on his left eye. Following acute management of the chemical injury and amniotic membrane transplantation, the cornea healed with extensive conjunctivalization. He suffered severe photophobia and visual acuity (VA) loss up to 0.16 Snellen lines. Because of severe clinical findings of LSCD, SLET surgery was performed. He had dramatic improvement in corneal epithelialization, stromal transparency, and disappearance of photophobia 2 weeks after the surgery. At 1 year postoperatively, his VA was 0.7 with a stable epithelial surface and minimal corneal haze and he had returned to normal life. SLET is a viable alternative technique in the management of unilateral LSCD and should be present in the armamentarium of all corneal surgeons.

Keywords: Chemical eye injury, limbal stem cell deficiency; simple limbal epithelial transplantation.

Barbaros Hayrettin Unlu, Canan Aslı Utine, Ismet Durak. Simple limbal epithelial transplantation in limbal stem cell deficiency after chemical eye injury. Eur Eye Res. 2021; 1(1): 47-52

Corresponding Author: Canan Aslı Utine, Türkiye
Manuscript Language: English