What is a corneal transplant?

The cornea is the transparent outer surface at the front of your eye (like the crystal on your watch). Injury, disease, infection or genetic changes can cause the cornea to become cloudy, distorted or scarred. This can severely reduce vision and may cause blindness.

Replacing a damaged cornea is the only effective treatment in most instances. Approximately 20,000 corneal transplants are performed each year in the United States. Corneal replacement is the most successful of all tissue transplants. This outpatient procedure involves transfer of the clear, central portion of the donor eye to the patient's eye. All tissue is carefully tested beforehand to prevent transmission of disease.

Initial healing after the operation occurs quickly, with most patients able to resume activities within days. However, the return of the best vision possible takes much longer. Depending on your ability to heal, and the overall health of your eye, vision restoration may take as long as one year. While the incidence of rejection is low, it is possible that your eye may reject the donated corneal tissue at any time after the operation. When rejection occurs, vision begins to fail and the eye becomes reddened. If this occurs, you should visit our office at once, regardless of the length of time that has elapsed since your operation. Early treatment can save the graph and vision.

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