REFRACTIVE SURGERY Epikeratophakia Grafts Glued with Autologous Cryopreci pitate

This study set out to determine if adhesive could be used instead of sutures for fixing epikeratophakia lenticules in place. Three patients who had previously undergone removal of a traumatic cataract, and who were contact lens intolerant, each had a specially designed lyophilized epikeratophakia graft glued onto their aphakic eye. Adhesive was prepared by separation of cryoprecipitate from plasma derived individually from each patient. The cryoprecipitate was used to form a fibrin bond beneath the graft by the addition of topical thrombin. All the grafts were successfully retained and rapidly re-epithelialized, and in a 6-month follow-up period no complications attributable to the use of adhesive were encountered. These preliminary results suggest that gluing epikeratophakia grafts significantly improves the procedure by making it quicker, easier and potentially more effective.