Aim:To study the indications, risk factors, postoperative course, and long-term survival of corneal transplants done for optical purposes.Design:Retrospective case series.Materials and Methods:Data were obtained by reviewing the records of 181 patients operated at our institute (H.V. Desai Eye Hospital) between October 2005 and October 2007 for optical penetrating keratoplasty. Patients with less than one year of follow up, pediatric cases, therapeutic, tectonic, and lamellar keratoplasties were excluded. Kaplan Meier survival analysis was used to calculate median survival time of grafts and to see correlation between nine variables viz. age, gender, corneal vascularization, previous failed grafts, previous Herpes Simplex keratitis, post-perforation corneal scars, donor tissue quality, graft size, type of surgery and follow-up. These variables were also used for univariate and multivariate analysis using Cox Proportional Hazard Regression Modeling.Results:Median survival of the cohort was 27 months (95% confidence interval: 20.47-33.52). One- and two-year survival rates were 65% and 52.5%, respectively. Median survival was significantly lower in poor prognosis cases (14 months) than good prognosis cases (27 months, P = 0.0405). Graft survival was lower in vascularized corneas (18.55 months, P = 0.030) and in post-perforation corneal scars (17.96 months, P = 0.09, borderline significance). Multivariate analysis showed that the same factors were predictive of graft failure.Conclusion:Long-term survival of grafts at our center is different from centers in western world. More high-risk cases, paucity of excellent quality donor corneas, and differences in patient profile could be the contributory factors.

Brittle cornea syndrome is a rare generalised connective tissue disorder with ocular features like keratoglobus or keratoconus, severe corneal thinning and a high risk of perforation. Various authors in different case reports and case series have brought out the fact that brittle cornea is a disorder with characteristic systemic manifestations such as deafness, joint hypermobility, hyperelasticity of skin, kyphoscoliosis and dental abnormalities alongwith ophthalmic features. We report a case of globe perforation following trivial trauma, in an individual with brittle cornea without any extraocular manifestations, posing a challenge in the diagnosis and dilemma in surgical repair of cornea, restoration of globe integrity and visual rehabilitation. The absence of systemic manifestations decreased the index of suspicion and led to a surprise in the theatre-a point this case emphasised.