What is Corneal Transplant Surgery?
Corneal Transplant Surgery is a procedure to replace the disease Cornea with a new and healthy one. Cornea is the clear part of eye that allows light to enter the eye enabling the person for sight. It is necessary to replace the cornea if it is diseased or damaged.
These conditions may affect the clarity of your cornea and sometimes can also be the reason for corneal failure: • Scarring caused from eye herpes or fungal keratitis, a type of infections. • The condition when eyelashes grow inwardly and are rubbed against the cornea causing scarring from trichiasis. • Person suffering from advanced keratoconus or Fuchs' dystrophy, a hereditary disorder.
What is the procedure for Corneal Transplant Surgery?
Local anesthesia is given around your eye to make your muscles relax. Eye drops are also used to numb your eye controlling blinking and eye movements to proceed with the transplantation. The surgeon will open your eye lids with an instrument called lid speculum and check the affected area of cornea to determine the size of the donor tissue required. In a traditional corneal transplant surgery, a circular button-shaped tissue is removed and a matching donor tissue is placed through a trephine, a surgical cutting instrument used for the surgery.
Recovering From a Cornea Transplant
The Recovering time from a Cornea Transplant may take a year or long. You will have a blur vision for the initial months; it may become worse in some cases but will improve by the time your eyes will get used to the new cornea. Once your vision improves, you will be able to get back to your daily routine. Heavy exercise and work load are strictly restricted for first several weeks. Discuss on this with your doctor and start your routine depending on your condition. It is recommended to take steroid eye drops regularly as they will help your body to accept the new corneal and will also fight against infection and swelling. It is better to keep your eye covered all the time by wearing a pair of eye glasses. After the surgery, the stitches are usually removed within three to 17 months depending on your condition.
What are the complications and risks involved in Cornea Transplant?
Corneal Transplant has a reasonable success rate but there are certain risks and complications involved in this procedure. 1. Eye infection and problems associated with the use of stitches. 2. Rejection of donor tissue where the patient’s body refuses to accept the donor tissue.
Rejection signs may occur as early as one month or as late as several years after surgery. It is recommended to take medicine on a regular basis to reduce the chance of rejection. Redness, Extreme Sensitivity to light and Decreased Vision are some of the alarming signs of rejection and therefore should not be ignored.