SUMMARY
The files of 265 patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty (PK) at São Geraldo Hospital (UFMG) during the periods of 198387 and 1988-92 were reviewed in order to verify the changes in the indications for surgery. Males constituted 56.3 percent of the patients and 65 percent were from 10 to 49 years of age. The main indications for PK were as follows: keratoconus-66 cases (24,9%), scarring-60 cases (22,6%), regraft-53 cases (20%), bullous keratopathy-41 cases (15,5%), keratilis-17 cases (6,4%) and dystrophy-14 cases (5,3%). The highest age average was in bullous keratopathy (56,5 years of age) and the lowest in keratoconus (22,5 years of age). The distribution of 265 PK cases regarding the frequency of indications per period showed decrease of scarring and increase of bullous keratopathy. There was no agreement between the present study and literature; the latter shows bullous keratopathy and the former keratoconus as the main indication for PK. Marked changes in the indications for PK were found between the two analyzed periods.