Etiology and outcome of penetrating keratoplasty in bullous keratopathy post-cataract surgery vs post-glaucoma surgery

by Young-ho Jung, Hyuk Jin Choi, Mee Kum Kim, Joo Youn Oh

To investigate the causes of bullous keratopathy (BK) in the Korean population and analyze the results of penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in BK eyes associated with the top two causes: pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK) and glaucoma surgery-associated BK (GBK).

Medical records were reviewed of patients diagnosed with BK at a tertiary referral center between 2010 and 2020. The predisposing conditions, clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcomes after PK were analyzed and compared.

Of total 340 BK eyes, 70% (238 eyes) were associated with ocular surgery; most commonly, cataract surgery (48%, 162 eyes) and glaucoma surgery/laser (21%, 70 eyes). The BK onset was faster following glaucoma surgery/laser (91.7 ± 94.4 months) than following cataract surgery (160.7 ± 138.0 months, p < 0.001). The median survival time of allografts was shorter in GBK than in PBK (24.0 vs 51.0 months, p = 0.020). Best-corrected logMAR visual acuities were lower in GBK than in PBK after PK (1.4 ± 0.7 vs 0.9 ± 0.6, p = 0.017 at one year; 1.8 ± 0.7 vs 1.1 ± 0.8, p = 0.043 at three years).

Intraocular surgery is the major predisposing condition of BK in Korea. GBK developed earlier and its therapeutic outcome was poorer, compared to PBK.