Corneal Transplant

What is Corneal Transplant ?

Cornea transplant (corneal grafting) is the process by which a diseased cornea of the patient is replaced by the donated cornea graft or tissue. The surgery can be done in total with penetrating keratoplasty and also in part with lamellar keratoplasty. In this procedure, a clear healthy corneal is placed by removing the diseased opaque cornea in order to restore the lost sight by permitting the light rays to enter with the help of the clear transplanted cornea.

What is the Cornea ?

An external clear covering of the eye which contains the colored pupil and the iris is termed as Cornea. If there is any damage to the cornea, then it can become swollen and can affect the smoothness and its clarity. Cornea is a very powerful refracting surface which is around 2/3rd part of the eye. It is very essential part of the eye and is required for clear vision. It becomes a clear window to look through and its clarity is necessary for good vision. Diseases of the cornea will lead to loss of transparency, reducing the vision. The impaired functioning of the cornea can cause injury, genetic diseases, infections and malnutrition. The first line treatment comes in the form of medicine and the cornea transplant become a necessity for people losing almost 70 per cent of the vision in one or both the eyes.

Types of Cornea Transplants

Penetrating (full thickness) Cornea Transplant : This kind of transplant involves transplanting all the layers of the cornea from the donor.
Lamellar Cornea Transplant : In this the surgeon only replaces some of the layers of the cornea with the transplant.

Lamellar transplants are the most appropriate transplant when the disease process is limited to only a portion of the cornea.

Indications of a Corneal Transplant?

Vision cannot be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses
In the case of swelling which cannot be healed by any medications.
Hereditary corneal failure, such as Fuchs' Dystrophy
A steep curving (Keratoconus) of the cornea
Corneal failure after other eye surgery, such as cataract surgery
Injury leading to scarring

Lamellar transplants are the most appropriate transplant when the disease process is limited to only a portion of the cornea.

Procedure for Corneal Transplant

The surgical process of cornea transplant does not require any hospitalization and is performed under general anesthesia. The tissue is examined thoroughly before donor corneas are used for transplant. To control the continuous blinking and eye movement, an injection is released into the eyes of the patient. Many times a surgeon also uses eye drops to numb the eye.

The surgeon then examines the concerned area to understand the requirement of the size of the donor tissue. The surgeon first removes a similar shaped button part of the tissue from the patient's affected cornea and then places a similar shaped button from the donor tissue. This button is then sutured into a proper place. At the end, the surgeon will cover the patient's eye with a plastic shield to protect it from being rubbed..

Recovering From a Corneal Transplant

The total recovery time for a corneal transplant can be up to a year or longer
For the first several weeks, heavy exercises and lifting are prohibited
Stitches usually are removed after 3 to 17 months, depending on the health of the patient's eye and the rate of healing