Cornea transplant

Also called keratoplasty or a corneal graft, a cornea transplant is an operation to remove all or part of a damaged cornea and replace it with healthy donor tissue. It can be used to improve sight, relieve pain and treat severe infection or damage.

Types of Cornea Transplant

The type of cornea transplant depends on which part of the cornea is damaged or how much of the cornea needs replacing.

Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK)

This is a full-thickness transplant of the cornea where the donor cornea, cut to fit, is placed in the eye.

Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK)

It involves replacing or reshaping the outer and middle (front) layers of the cornea.

Endothelial Keratoplasty (EK)

This procedure replaces the deeper (back) layers of the cornea.

Keratoprosthesis

This procedure uses an artificial cornea when the patient is not eligible for a donor cornea transplant.

Signs & Symptoms of Cornea Transplant

Eye pain
Blurred vision
Red eyes
Sensitivity to light
Eye infection
Pressure increase within the eyeball (glaucoma)

Treatment of Cornea Transplant

Pre Transplant

The patient undergoes a physical exam and other tests to ensure they are healthy enough to have the surgery. They may need to stop taking blood thinners or other medicines before the surgery as recommended by the ophthalmologist.

Transplant

Depending on the treatment type, the surgeon may remove and replace a circular part of the diseased cornea with a matching portion of the donor cornea. They may remove only a very thin layer of cells from the front of the cornea and replace it with donor tissue and stitch it into place.

Alternatively, only the damaged inner layer of the cornea is removed and a thin disc of healthy donor tissue is placed on the back surface of the cornea.

Post Transplant

After surgery, the ophthalmologist usually tapes a shield over the patient’s eyes to keep them safely covered. The stitches from the surgery may or may not be removed, depending on their type and the health of the eye.