Amniotic Membrane Transplantation for Congenital Distichiasis

Purpose: To evaluate the use of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for management of congenital distichiasis. Methods: In this interventional case series, 16 eyelids of 5 patients with congenital distichiasis underwent posterior lamella resection and AMT. Results: All patients were male subjects with mean age of 13.6±15.2 (range 2-42) years. Mean follow up was 17±7.5 (range 6-29) months. Distichiasis did not recur in 11 eyelids (68.7%). Misdirected eyelashes recurred in 3 eyelids (18.8%) outside the AMT area and in 2 eyelids (12.5%) within the AMT area which were successfully treated by gentle laser epilation. Postoperatively, symptoms of dry eye were controlled by medical treatment in all patients. Eyelid contour was not significantly altered in any patient. Conclusion: AMT seems to be an acceptable alternative for surgical management of congenital distichiasis yielding acceptable eyelid contour with low rate of complications.