Corneal Transplants

Corneal tissue for transplant comes from an eye bank. The operation consists of transferring the clear central part of the cornea from the donor's eye to the patient's eye. Soon after the operation, the patient can resume activity.

Return of the best vision after corneal transplant surgery may take up to a year, depending on the rate of healing and the health of the rest of the eye. A contact lens may be required to obtain one's best vision after corneal transplant surgery. As in any transplant, rejection of the donated tissue can take place. The major signs of rejection are redness of the eye or worsening of vision. If these occur, a prompt return to an ophthalmologist is necessary, even if it is years after the original operation.  

Advancements in cornea transplant technique over the last few decades have dramatically improved our ability to treat corneal disease with decreased complications, longer transplant survival, and improved visual outcomes.

Depending on your condition, your cornea surgeon may perform either a penetrating keratoplasty (PKP/full thickness), anterior lamellar keratoplasty (ALK/partial thickness anterior), or endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK or DSEK/partial thickness posterior). Each of these surgical techniques is tailored to your corneal disease. Your doctor will discuss with you their recommendation regarding corneal transplant surgery.

What to expect as you prepare for surgery:

Before Surgery

Eat a light meal and take your usual medications.  On the same day as the surgery, please use whatever medical eye drops (for example, for glaucoma) you would normally use for the operative eye.

Pre-Op

The surgery is usually performed under conscious sedation with a local anesthetic of your eye. As directed by the physician, our Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) may administer a sedative intravenously, and then after you are sedated, he/she will completely numb your eye. Patients rarely remember the numbing procedure, and once the eye is numb, they should not experience any discomfort during the surgical procedure. This also prevents you from seeing the surgery or moving the eye. The CRNA also gives you medicine by vein to keep you relaxed and a little sleepy during the surgery. Using local anesthesia avoids many risks to your heart or lungs that complete general anesthesia involves.

Surgery and Recovery

The length of surgery varies from 30 to 75 minutes depending on the type of cornea transplant you are receiving. You may be asked to lay flat in the recovery room for up to 1 hour. The entire visit can take as long as 3-4 hours before you are ready to go home.

Click on the links below for more details about each type of cornea transplant:

RETURN TO CORNEAL DISEASES & DISORDERS

To schedule an appointment, call (509) 456-0107