Visual Rehabilitation in Patients With Corneal Blindness Using Keratoprosthesis

Background and Aims Blindness is one of the major health problems and diseases, such as corneal opacity, cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration due to diabetes are recognized as the most important causes of bilateral blindness worldwide. Among these factors, corneal diseases are considered as an important cause of blindness. The aim of this study was to review the prevalence, causative agents, treatment methods, and also the use of keratoprosthesis or artificial cornea as the last option to restore vision to blind patients with severe corneal injuries. Methods Studies related to the subject were collected and reviewed using valid databases, such as PubMed and Google Scholar. Results Out of more than 1000 articles in the field of the artificial cornea, about 70 related articles were selected and reviewed. Conclusion Generally, keratoprosthesis is used for patients for whom corneal transplantation is not possible or the risk of corneal transplantation rejection is high. The patient’s current condition and the outcome of the patient’s anterior and posterior segment examinations, previous treatments and surgeries, and the medications used should be considered. If a person has advanced retinal disease or glaucoma, he/she is not a good candidate for keratoprosthesis. If the patient’s vision in either eye is within the range of light perception or hand movement detection, while the optic nerve and macula are healthy, it is appropriate to use keratoprosthesis. It can be said that there is still no type of keratoprosthesis that can be used without side effects and for all patients in need, but researchers are still trying to improve the quality of keratoprostheses, which can restore patients’ lost vision with minimal complications.