PUBLICATION EXCLUSIVE: How to approach KPro corneal melt with back plate exposure

Artificial corneas are a useful surgical option in the visual rehabilitation of corneal blindness. The concept of an artificial cornea was first introduced by Guillaume Pellier de Quengsy in 1789, and in 1853, the first successful quartz crystal implantation into the cornea was published. Currently, the most popular and widely used artificial cornea is the Boston keratoprosthesis (KPro).The indications for the use of an artificial cornea include refractory corneal blindness with a poor prognosis for conventional penetrating keratoplasty such as failed corneal grafts or chemical or thermal injury, autoimmune ocular disorders such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, congenital anomalies such as aniridia, herpetic keratitis and pediatric corneal opacities. The spectrum of postoperative complications associated with an artificial cornea include various forms of corneal melt, infection, extrusion of the KPro, secondary glaucoma, endophthalmitis and retroprosthetic membrane.