Cornea transplant is usually carried out under local anesthesia.The eye and periocular tissues are numbed or in other words, patients are not asleep.General anesthesia can be preferred for children, patients with poor compliance to local anesthesia or the surgeon’s discretion.A small device is used to keep the eyelids open after eyelids and peripheral area are properly cleaned.The surgeon determines the diameter of cornea to be used for the cornea transplant.Damaged part of the cornea is carefully removed.Cataract is removed, if a cataract surgery is planned for the same session, and an intra-ocular lens is placed.The transparent donor cornea is placed and secured to the removed part of the native cornea using microsurgical techniques.An antibiotic is applied on the eye that is closed with a protective shield at the end of the surgery.
Postoperative Considerations
- It is very important that you use the prescribed medications carefully.
- You should avoid rubbing or scratching your eyes.
- You need to use the protective eye shield or eyeglasses as advised by your Ophthalmologist.
- Your physician will decide the date when your stitches will be removed.This period is several months after the surgery at the earliest.
Does cornea transplant pose any risk?
No surgical procedure is risk-free.Tissue rejection occurs in 5-30% of cornea transplants.
Other rare postoperative problems are listed below:
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Glaucoma (high intraocular pressure)
- Detachment of Retina
Cornea transplant can be repeated, if necessary, and the results are generally good.Irregularity of cornea may slow down the correction of visual acuity after the surgery.However, visual acuity improves gradually within a year after the surgery.