DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2023.v11i12.004

Pages: 2015-2020

Introduction: A corneal ulcer, a defect of the corneal epithelium involving the underlying stroma, is a potentially vision-threatening ocular emergency. Even with prompt treatment patients can suffer significant morbidity with complications including corneal scarring or perforation, development of glaucoma, cataracts or anterior and posterior synechiae, and vision loss. Objective: to evaluate outcomes and complications of temporary suture tarsorrhaphy (TST) in cases of impending corneal ulcer perforation. Methods: In this retrospective study was carried out at Department of Ophthalmology, Ad-din Akij Medical College, Khulna and Eye Hospital, Khulna, Bangladesh from January to June 2022. All cases of fungal keratitis that had undergone TST after evaluation were included. Patients with a minimum follow up of 3-month post tarsorrhaphy were included in the study. Information reviewed included patient age and sex, visual acuity (VA) at presentation, size and location of the ulcer, indication for TST, duration of signs and symptoms before TST, time to epithelial healing after TST, complications associated with non-healing corneal ulcer, complications of TST, number of TST needed and the duration of follow up. Results: During the 12 months study period, 300 cases were planned for TST out of which 90 patients (30.0%) fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included for the study. There were not any cases of both eye involvement. Mean age of the patients in this study was 50.34+ 14.56 years (range 20—85 years) with a male-to-female ratio of 2.22:1. Only 3 patients (2.52%) had a VA of more than 6/60, 31 patients (34.44%) had VA between 6/60 to counting finger-close to face (CF-CF) and 57(63.33%) had hand movement (HM) to perception of light (PL) at first visit. The patients presented to the cornea service 3 to 45 days (mean 19.34+10.62 days) after the onset of symptoms, with only 7.57% of the patients presenting within 1 week. Out of 90 patients, 64 patients ....