Visibility of the Retina Through an Air-Filled Anterior Chamber During Simultaneous Vitrectomy and Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty

PURPOSE: To describe the visibility of the retina through an air-filled anterior chamber during simultaneous pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), and to discuss the technical challenges of a fluid-air exchange under such conditions. METHODS: Six eyes from 6 patients with coexisting bullous keratopathy and posterior segment problems such as vitreous opacity, retained silicon oil, intraocular lens subluxation, or aphakia underwent simultaneous PPV and DSAEK. In all cases, after completion of 25-gauge PPV with/without flanged intrascleral intraocular lens fixation, DSAEK donor tissue was inserted into the anterior chamber. Air was then injected into the anterior chamber to attach the donor graft to the back surface of the host cornea. At this point, the visibility of the retina was evaluated using endoillumination and a wide-angle viewing system. RESULTS: In all cases, visibility of the retina through an air-filled anterior chamber, with the DSAEK donor attached, was sufficient to perform a fluid-air exchange. CONCLUSION: Our clinical observations of such rare but clinically important conditions indicate that simultaneous PPV and DSAEK is possible with fair visualization of the posterior segment including the retina.