AlphaCor? keratoprosthesis: postoperative development of six patients

Purpose  AlphaCor™ (Argus Biomedical Pty. Ltd., Perth, Australia) is an artificial, soft, one-piece keratoprosthesis (KPro) indicated for severe corneal conditions not treatable by a donor graft. To evaluate the efficacy and visual restoring of six patients with complete corneal opacification and deep neovascularizations treated with AlphaCor™. Methods  A retrospective review of six patients with a history of corneal opacification treated with keratoprosthesis surgery. AlphaCor™ synthetic cornea was implanted into the corneal stroma. During the follow-up time, slit-lamp and ultrasound examinations, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and intraocular pressure measurements were performed. Results  Six eyes with corneal scarring and vascularizations in three to four quadrants of six patients to years of age underwent a keratoprosthesis procedure. The follow-up time was 13–36 months; mean 23 months. The operation procedure was not limited by severe complications. The preoperative BCVA was hand movement to light perception. The postoperative BCVA ranged between 20/200 and 80/100. Intraocular pressure was controlled in all cases. Three patients developed a melting of the anterior corneal lamella. The keratoprosthesis had to be explanted (15–34 months after implantation) and was replaced by a donor cornea. Conclusions  Further evaluation is needed to evaluate the role of AlphaCor™ as a keratoprosthesis.