Lateral tarsorrhaphy: Is it preferable to patching?

Purpose. To evaluate the effectiveness of lateral tarsorrhaphy for the mana gement of postkeratoplasty epithelial defects. Method. Thirty-six patients with persistent postkeratoplasty epithelial defects that did not heal despi te topical medical therapy for a period of 96 hours were treated with eithe r a lateral tarsorrhaphy (18 patients) or with tight patching (18 patients) . All patients were evaluated daily by slit-lamp examination until complete reepithelialization occurred. Results, The epithelial healing was signific antly faster (7.61 +/- 0.91 days vs. 12.6 +/- 1.61 days, p < 0.5) in the la teral tarsorrhaphy group. Further, the patients with lateral tarsorrhaphies were significantly more comfortable when compared with those of the patchi ng group (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Lateral tarsorrhaphy provides quick sympto matic relief and faster corneal epithelial defect healing. Therefore, it ma y be of benefit in cases of postkeratoplasty persistent epithelial defects.