Endothelial keratoplasty: first report of a ruptured globe after deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty

PURPOSE: To report a case of ruptured globe after endothelial keratoplasty. METHODS: Review of clinical findings in an 80-year-old man who presented with globe rupture after blunt trauma 3 years after deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty. RESULTS: The rupture occurred through the temporal scleral tunnel incision with expulsion of endothelial graft and intraocular lens. Primary repair was successful, but the postoperative course has remained complicated. CONCLUSIONS: A ruptured globe caused by blunt trauma can occur after endothelial keratoplasty as it can after other intraocular procedures. In this case, the endothelial graft was extruded with separation of the donor-graft interface. The incidence has yet to be determined and whether it is less than that after standard penetrating keratoplasty surgery will require further long-term studies.