2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
8 External Disease and Cornea
Chapter 13: Therapeutic Interventions for Ocular Surface Disorders
Conjunctival Interventions for Ocular Surface Disorders
Autologous Conjunctival Transplantation
Autologous conjunctival transplantation is useful when conjunctival loss is not complicated by extensive damage to the limbal epithelial stem cells. The most common indication for this technique is coverage of bare sclera after pterygium excision (see the section Pterygium Excision, earlier in the chapter). Another indication is a clinically significant pinguecula causing chronic ocular redness and irritation. Conjunctival autografts from the opposite eye have been used to treat fornix foreshortening occurring after localized surgery, such as retinal detachment surgery with a scleral buckle, strabismus surgery, or excision of ocular surface tumors or nevi. Conditions associated with bilateral fornix obliteration (eg, mucous membrane pemphigoid, Stevens-Johnson syndrome) are usually systemic, so uninvolved conjunctiva is not available for grafting. Mucous membrane transplantation may be used in these cases and is discussed later in this chapter.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 10 - Glaucoma. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.