Visual acuity, residual astigmatism, and graft clarity following penetrating keratoplasty for keratoconus

For quality assurance purposes, an indepth search was taken for patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in the Department of Ophthalmology. The patient population group used were patients with a diagnosis of keratoconus who underwent penetrating keratoplasty surgery during a two year period. The patients excluded were those with aphakia, cataracts, glaucoma, and retinal disease. These patients were followed for a period of two years to determine an outcome criteria consisting of visual acuity, residual astigmatism, and graft clarity. Excluding one case of primary donor failure, the average results found two years after surgery were a visual acuity of 20/ 20, an average amount of astigmatism of 3.5 dipopters, and one hundred percent clear grafts with no graft rejection.