**2.1.5 Indications for surgical intervention**

In one case we performed corneal abrasion, but as it proved ineffective we followed it up with perforating keratoplasty.

Perforating keratoplasty was performed in six cases. In four cases keratoplasty was performed as an emergency to save the eyeball (because of descemetocele), in two cases the operations were scheduled for visual rehabilitation. The emergency cases were the "late diagnostic" cases.

Shape and size of keratoplasty and surgical techniques: All keratoplasties were perforating (penetrating), and central. All surgical procedures were done by two experienced surgeons. All cases were performed under retrobulbar anaesthesia. The trephination was performed with modified Geuder trephines for the host cornea from the epithelial side, and the graft from the endothelial side. Donor corneas were from the Eye Bank of our department. Only grafts with an endothelial cell count above 2000 cells/mm² were used. The mean graft diameter was 7.7 mm (range 7.25 to 8.25 mm), with an average over sizing of 0.5 mm. Graft fixation was performed in all cases with running nylon 10/0 sutures. (Fig. 3.,4.)
