Long-term ocular surface stability in conjunctivolimbal autograft and ocular surface safety in the donor eyes

Purpose The current study is aimed to present the long-term results of the patients who underwent conjunctivolimbal autograft (CLAU) as the primary operation in unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency and the ocular surface safety of the donor eyes. The patients were followed up for five years or longer. Methods The records of all patients who underwent CLAU as the primary operation were retrospectively analyzed. Additional ocular surface operations, ocular surface stability, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and ocular surface status of the donor eyes were investigated. Results The mean age of the patients at the time of transplantation was 35.07 ± 12.9 (12–60). Twenty-nine eyes of 29 patients were followed up for an average of 97.82 ± 34.45 (60–186) months. Additional ocular surface operation was required in 27.58% (8/29) of the eyes in order to achieve a stable ocular surface. Ocular surface stability was achieved in 82.75% (24/29) of the eyes at the end of the follow-up period. BCVA increased from 1.78 ± 0.82 to 0.91 ± 0.92 logMAR at the last visit ( p