Epikeratophakia to correct traumatic aphakia after penetrating keratoplasty.

A 19-year-old man with keratoconus sustained ocular trauma and became aphakic in his operated left eye 2 months after penetrating keratoplasty. Original corneal wound repair was performed without intraocular lens implantation. Attempts to correct his aphakia with a contact lens failed when the patient became intolerant to its use. As an alternative, the patient had elective epikeratophakia. A standard 8.5 mm lenticule was placed over existing corneal graft. This operation resulted in +12.25 diopters of correction and a best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 at 30 months postoperatively. There was no sign of abnormalities at the host cornea or the transplanted lenticule. This case indicates that epikeratophakia may be successfully performed over existing corneal grafts.