Catastrophic Thermal Corneoscleral Injury Treated with Transplantation of Donor Scleral Graft

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to report a patient with senile cataract developing severe thermal corneoscleral injury during phacoemulsification, which was treated with a donor scleral graft. CASE: Severe thermal corneoscleral injury occurred during phacoemulsification in the right eye of a 74-year-old male. His medical history was prostate hypertrophy. Visual acuity was hand motion and the intraocular pressure was 3 mm Hg OD. There was heavy corneal stromal opacity with intraocular fluid leakage. The patient underwent transplantation of a donor scleral graft to the burn site. Histologically, the injured sclera showed coagulation necrosis without inflammatory cell infiltration. An intraocular lens was eventually fixed in the ciliary sulcus 7 months later. His visual acuity remains at 2/20 OD. CONCLUSIONS: Transplantation of the donor scleral grafts is useful to close the wound in catastrophic thermal injury.