Oral mucous membrane grafts for corneal protection to permit prosthetic shell wear.

Conjunctival flaps are commonly used to cover the cornea in patients who otherwise can not tolerate a scleral shell. An alternative method of protecting the cornea, oral mucous membrane grafting, is described herein. Ten patients had oral mucous membrane grafting to the cornea. Patients ranged from 5 months to 47 years of age. Diagnoses included partial cryptophthalmia, microphthalmia, congenital orbital fibrosis syndrome, juvenile active ossifying fibroma, and trauma. All patients had poor visual function in the affected eye. Patients were either intolerant of scleral shell wear or had other contraindications to the use of a shell over an unprotected cornea. Following mucous membrane grafting (follow-up, 1-3 years), all patients were successfully fitted with prostheses and obtained good cosmetic results.