Corneal Scraping Surgery Procedure, Recovery, Success, CPT & ICD-10

What is Corneal Scraping?

A superficial keratectomy, also known as a corneal scraping technique, is a quick surgical operation used to remove unhealthy cells from the cornea's surface. In this procedure, the base of the ulcer is carefully scraped with a sterile platinum loop or needle. During this technique, the epithelium of the cornea is peeled back until it reaches the level of the Bowman membrane. This treatment is useful for removing corneal inflammation, scarring, and other visually noticeable abnormalities in an outpatient or operating room setting.

Corneal Scraping Procedure

The steps involved in corneal scraping surgery are as follows:

• A local anesthetic may be administered in the form of eye drops or a local anesthetic injection to numb the eye.
• In a corneal scraping procedure, a tiny piece of tissue is carefully removed from the cornea using a sterile blade or spatula.
• In order to see the cells under a microscope, the tissue is stained with a unique dye.
• When examining the tissue under a microscope, the corneal condition is identified, and the best course of therapy is chosen.
• Depending on the scope of the treatment, the incision is either closed with a single suture or allowed to heal on its own. 
• The entire process usually takes 30 minutes to complete in a sterile operating room. While recovering, the patient is watched for any problems.

Corneal Scraping Recovery

It usually takes a few weeks for the cornea to recover completely after corneal scraping surgery, during which time the patient's vision will continue to improve. There may be pain until the injury heals. Although recovery times can vary depending on the patient, most people recover in 3 to 7 days on average. After lens replacement, the majority of patients will be healed in two weeks; however, they must continue to use artificial tears 4 times daily for an additional two to four weeks to ensure complete healing.

Corneal Scraping Success rate

Typically, 84% of corneal scraping surgeries are successful. There were no intraoperative issues observed, and after a mean follow-up of 6.5 months, symptoms returned in 24% of the eyes with recurrent erosions. All patients had their corneal epithelium scraped intra-operatively, and it may be prudent to remove tissue from the eye's lens prior to cataract surgery if there are corneal health issues. Early identification and treatment advancements are typically connected with better outcomes for orbital rhabdomyosarcoma than for many other locations.

Corneal Scraping ICD-10

For the purpose of reimbursement, the ICD-10-CM code S05.00XA can be used to identify a diagnosis.

Corneal Scraping CPT Code

CPT code 65430 describes a set of procedures that can be performed on the cornea and are classified as either removal procedures or destruction procedures. The doctor scrapes the cornea during this operation to get a smear or culture for diagnostic use.