AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of corneoscleral separation in the treatment of persistent corneal ulcer.

METHODS: Collected 22 cases(22 eyes)with deep corneal ulcer were treated with drugs. These patients underwent corneoscleral separation or corneal interstitial filling of sterile gelatin sponge, by retrospectively observing the cornea ulcer healing, anterior chamber reaction and separation of new blood vessels grow between the layers, and so on, the surgical indications, surgical techniques, postoperative complications and treatment were evaluated.

RESULTS: Patients were followed up 3 to 6mo, of which 18 eyes cornea were seen a small amount of new blood vessels, anterior chamber empyema after 7-9d. Ulcers gradually narrowed, infection controlled, the surrounding edema relieved, visual acuity improved by varying degrees after 12-15d. Postoperative 4 eyes for the mixed infection, 2 of the 4 eyes were of the rapid progress, neovascularization did not grow into the lesion, ulcers on the verge of perforation and then done penetrating keratoplasty.

CONCLUSION: The aim of this study is to introduce deep limbal vessels into the surrounding of ulcer foci, which to combine with drug therapy is one of the effective methods to treat deep corneal infection.