Purpose: To evaluate cases of bullous keratopathy resulting from anterior-posterior radial corneal keratotomy (Sato-type operation) performed from 1951 to 1959.
Design: Observational case series.
Methods: Records for a total of 220 eyes of 139 patients with follow-up examinations were examined. The age at operation vs time to occurrence of bullous keratopathy after the original operation was evaluated in four age groups. Endothelial cell density was measured in 11 long-term postoperative eyes.
Results: The mean time to development of bullous keratopathy after surgery was 26.9 +/- 8.8 years (mean +/- SD; n = 173 eyes). The length of this period was not affected by the age of the patient at the time of the original surgery. Average endothelial cell density in 11 eyes of 11 patients 28.5 +/- 3.7 years after surgery was 639 +/- 135 cells/mm(2).
Conclusions: Although some corneas remained clear more than 26 years after anterior-posterior radial keratotomy, the risk of late corneal decompensation continues to exist for these patients.