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Purpose To describe a new technique for management of recalcitrant deep stromal keratitis using posterior lamellar keratectomy. Methods A 66-year-old pseudophakic male presented with deep stromal corneal infiltrates, extending from 2 to 4 o’clock in the vicinity of the limbus of the left eye, 3 months after phacoemulsification. The infiltrates failed to respond to empirical topical medications, anterior chamber wash and intrastromal injection. Posterior lamellar keratectomy was done to debulk the infectious load. In this technique the diseased posterior lamella was excised through a sclerocorneal lamellar pocket without a donor graft. Results The infection subsided within 2 weeks after posterior lamellar keratectomy. Patient achieved best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/60 with complete resolution of symptoms at 2 weeks follow up. Till the last follow-up at 6 months, the patient maintained BCVA of 20/60 with no sign of recurrence or corneal decompensation at the keratectomy site. Conclusion Posterior lamellar keratectomy is a simple, effective and inexpensive technique for management of small, peripheral, deep-seated recalcitrant keratitis. It leads to radical treatment of the disease like therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty but in a less invasive manner and without a donor graft.

Purpose: To report a case of central retinal artery occlusion after Descemet membrane reposition by intracameral air. Methods: An otherwise healthy 60-year-old woman presented with white mature cataract in her left eye. Ocular exam of both eyes was within normal limits. After an uneventful topical phacoemulsification, a moderate-grade striate keratopathy and non-planar Descemet membrane detachment was noted on first postoperative day, which was confirmed on anterior segment optical coherence tomography. The Descemet membrane was repositioned within 24 h of cataract extraction by intracameral air tamponade (pneumatic descematopexy) under topical anesthesia, and partial air release was done after 2 h. The patient was evaluated for decreased immediate postoperative vision of perception of light. Results: After pneumatic descematopexy, the stromal edema relatively cleared. The intraocular pressure before releasing the intracameral air was 38 mmHg and antiglaucoma medication was started. Dilated fundus exam showed retinal pallor and a cherry-red spot over the macula. A diagnosis of central retinal artery occlusion was confirmed, and thorough systemic workup was done. Systemic investigations were within normal limits. The patient was managed conservatively, but the final visual acuity remained at 1/60. Conclusion: Central retinal artery occlusion is not a reported complication after pneumatic descematopexy for Descemet membrane detachment management. The possible mechanism could be sudden increase in intraocular pressure due to pupil block by air, and thus, ocular surgeries with use of intracameral air for prolonged duration warrants close monitoring of intraocular pressure and its subsequent management.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of releasable single suture (RS) for conjunctival autograft (CAG) and to compare it with sutureless gluefree (SG) technique in pterygium surgery. Methods: We conducted a retrospective comparative study on patients with primary pterygium who underwent CAG. In 150 patients, CAG was additionally secured by a single 10-0 nylon releasable suture (RS) which was released on the first postoperative day. In 47 patients, no suture was applied, and CAG was allowed to stick to the scleral bed by autologous fibrin only (SG group). The duration of surgery and size of CAG (in mm 2 ) was noted in both groups. All patients completed one year of follow-up. Factors that were studied included graft stability, patient comfort, complications, and recurrence. Results: The mean age of patients in RS and SG groups was 39.6 ± 11.8 and 47.3 ± 13.8 years, respectively. The mean duration of surgery was 4.84 ± 1.34 min in RS group and 4.90 ± 1.42 min in SG group (P = 0.001). The size of CAG used in both groups was comparable with more stability in RS group postoperatively. Graft retraction rate in RS group was 5.3% (1 mm retraction in CAG more than 36 mm 2 ) with no event of graft loss. The graft loss occurred in 6.3% of eyes in SG group. The recurrence rate in RS group was 4%, while in SG group it was 6.3% (P = 0.4). Conclusion: RS, by augmenting the autologous blood mechanism, may offer an easy to learn option for pterygium surgery with good stability even in large sized CAGs.

Staphylococcus caprae is a catalase-positive and coagulase-negative organism that has been implicated in many systemic human infections but rarely in ocular infections. We present a rare case of S. caprae keratitis after phacoemulsification surgery. A 63-year-old male presented with the complaints of pain, redness in OS for 3 days following a phacoemulsification surgery. Cornea had an epithelial defect with a ring-shaped deep infiltrate. Temporary keratoprosthesis-associated pars plana vitrectomy was done followed by penetrating keratoplasty. Staphylococcus caprae was identified in culture. This case report points out to the pathogenic potential of S. caprae in keratitis in immunocompetent patient.

PURPOSE To evaluate a new surgical technique ("prick and print") for harvesting shaped donor corneal grafts in cases with perforated peripheral ulcerative keratitis (PUK). METHODS We conducted a retrospective case series at a tertiary center. Medical records of 13 patients with perforated PUK, who underwent tectonic eccentric keratoplasty using the stenciling-based prick and print technique during the past 1 year, were reviewed. All patients (15 eyes of 13 patients) received grafts of varying sizes and shapes (14 crescentic and 1 biconvex). Factors evaluated were tectonic integrity, graft apposition, and complications, if any. Surgical success was defined as maintenance of corneal integrity and healing of PUK. RESULTS Mean age of patients was 40.6 ± 19.4 years. Mean follow-up was 10 months. We achieved surgical success in 80% (12/15 eyes) of cases. Two eyes had graft infection, and regrafting (large circular graft) was performed for both. One eye developed new-site PUK, which was managed medically, and the graft remained viable tectonically. After surgery, 9 eyes achieved a best-corrected visual acuity of logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution +0.3 or better. No cases had graft rejection or peripheral anterior synechiae by final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS The stenciling-based prick and print technique for making shaped donor corneal grafts may offer a simple, easy-to-learn surgical technique that can be used to make any shape or pattern of donor corneal grafts without involving the optical center, even in extensive peripheral corneal lesions.

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of a releasable single suture for pterygium excision with a conjunctival autograft (CAG). METHODS Retrospective case series at a tertiary eye care center in central India was conducted. Medical records of 150 patients, who underwent primary pterygium excision with a CAG secured by a single releasable 10-0 nylon suture in the last year were reviewed. The surgical duration was noted. The suture was released on the first postoperative day under topical anesthesia. Patients were followed up until 1 year. At each visit, factors studied were patient comfort [pain grading on a visual analog scale], graft apposition, complications, and recurrence. RESULTS Mean age of patients was 39 ± 11 years. Most patients in our study were female (58.7%). Sixty percent of pterygia were of Tan grade 2. The mean duration of surgery was 4.8 ± 1.3 minutes. The maximum size of the CAG was 6 mm (3-6 mm). The graft retraction rate was 5.3% (1 mm retraction in the CAG more than 5.5 mm) with no event of graft loss. Four percent of patients had grade 1 recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Releasable single suture may offer a good and simple alternative, which uses the gold standard technique of the CAG with exclusion of suture-related complications.

Objectives: This study was designed with the primary objective to compare between eye patching and cyanoacrylate glue application for anterior chamber (AC) reformation in infected perforated corneal ulcers. Subjects and Methods: This is a nonrandomized prospective comparative study conducted in a tertiary eye hospital. Patients with perforated keratitis were offered either eye patching (Group 1) or cyanoacrylate gluing (Group 2) under hospital admission and medical treatment to reform the AC. Success was defined as a formed AC at the time of discharge from the hospital. Patients were followed up to 1 month after discharge. Normally distributed data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation and skewed data as median. Nominal data between the two groups were compared using Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Results: Forty eyes underwent eye patching and 38 eyes cyanoacrylate gluing to reform the AC. The number of eyes with formed AC was more in Group 2 (92%) compared to Group 1 (70%) (P = 0.020). Subgroup analysis on the basis of the size of perforation and size of ulcer showed that AC reformation was better in Group 2 compared to Group 1 in all aspects [Table 1]. In intragroup analysis, success in Group 1 was significantly better in small perforations (P = 0.001) and in small ulcers (P = 0.032) and ulcer in central location (P = 0.004). In Group 2, there was no significant difference in AC reformation between small and large perforation or ulcer. In both groups, AC reformation in peripheral perforations was poor compared to central and paracentral perforations (P = 0.004, 0.032). Conclusions: Cyanoacrylate glue is better than eye patching to restore ocular integrity. However, eye patching showed promising results in subgroup of patients with small perforated ulcers.{Table 1}