Biocolonizable keratoprosthesis with a microporous fluorocarbon skirt: A two year study

Most complications of keratoprosthesis (KPro) occur at the tissue-to-implant interface. The ideal prosthesis would eliminate this interface by having the tissue actually grown into the support material forming the haptic. We present a 2-year clinical human study of a novel biocolonizable KPro on 24 eyes of 24 patients. To promote tissue stability, a 9 mm 0 skirt made of a new microporous fluorocarbon was used. The optical core or the KPro optic was made of a medical grade polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) commonly used world-wide to fabricate intraocular lenses. The optic was 5 mm in diameter and 2.67 mm long. The average follow-up was 14 months (range: 4 to 28 months). Mean corrected visual acuity was 20/100 (range: 20/30 to 20/400). Anatomic failures occurred in 5 cases in the first year (1 lens dislocation, 1 endophthalmitis, 3 extrusions). These preliminary results appear encouraging. However, we did not eliminate all the complications with this biocompatible inert microporous polymer. Intensive research in mechanical, chemical, and surface biocompatibility is required to develop a true artificial cornea.