Objective: To evaluate the outcome of corneal surgery for the treatment of severe corneal phacoemulsification burns.
Design: Interventional case series.
Participants: Four patients with severe intraoperative phacoemulsification burns.
Intervention: One patient underwent penetrating keratoplasty and 3 underwent lamellar keratoplasties for the treatment of their corneal burns.
Main outcome measures: Preoperative and postoperative visual acuities, preoperative and postoperative corneal topographies, and clinical observation.
Results: The visual acuity (VA) after the phacoemulsification burn was counting fingers in all patients. One patient had a penetrating keratoplasty, whereas the other 3 had lamellar grafts. After the corneal surgery, the corrected postoperative VA was 20/30 to 20/50 in all patients, with astigmatism ranging from 2.5 to 5.5 diopters.
Conclusion: Severe phacoemulsification burns can be safely treated with corneal surgery, with acceptable postoperative visual acuities.