Non-freeze epikeratophakia in children.

We describe the use of unfrozen tissue lenses in 42 cases of epikeratophakia in children aged 2-14 years. Fourteen operations were performed in an aphakic eye, 28 in combination with congenital or traumatic cataract extraction. The tissue lenses, made from unfrozen donor cornea according to an original design, healed in 91.5% of cases. The tissue lens was removed when epithelial growth was inadequate on its surface. A five-year follow-up showed that correction within 3.0 D of emmetropia was achieved in 73.7% of the eyes. Preoperatively, mean keratometry readings were 43.5+/-0.2 D, increasing postoperatively to 53.6+/-0.8 D. Mean spherical equivalent at the spectacle plane increased by 9.6+/-0.9 D. Our investigations show the efficacy and safety of non-freeze epikeratophakia in the correction of pediatric aphakia.