5 Things You Need to Know About Corneal Transplant

1. Clear up Your Vision

The cornea is the transparent covering of the eye's surface. Light enters the eye through the cornea and is focused for clear vision. Sometimes the cornea prevents clear vision because it's damaged or distorted. That's when replacement of the cornea becomes an option. A transplant may also be necessary to relieve the pain of an infected cornea. You can either have a portion of the cornea or the entire cornea replaced.

2. Accept a Donor Cornea

Surgeons use donor tissue from a deceased person to replace the damaged cornea. Since almost any person's corneas are suitable as donors, the waiting list for this procedure is usually very short. Surgeons numb the eye with a local anesthetic and remove the damaged cornea with a tool that makes a circular cut around it. The surgeon then places the replacement corneal tissue into the resulting opening in the eye and sews it into place with tiny stitches using a very fine thread. The whole process usually takes about an hour.

3. Treat With Care

Cover the affected eye with a protective shield for the first three days following the surgery. Your doctor should provide you with drops to place in the eye to keep swelling to a minimum and guard against infection. You should routinely cover your eye with glasses and wear the protective shield while you sleep for at least a month after the procedure. Avoid getting water or dirt particles into your eye and don't add any pressure to your eye. You should also avoid laboring to lift something, as well as other strenuous physical activities.

4. What Could go Wrong

Although corneal transplants are the most common tissue replacement done, there could still be problems with the procedure. An increased sensitivity to light or seeing flashes of light can occur as well as pain, redness in the affected eye or a diminished ability to see. More severe complications include a popped stitch, inflammation, scarring or bleeding. Contact your physician if you notice any of these conditions after your corneal transplant.

5. It May not Take

Corneal transplants are occasionally rejected. When this happens, your surgeon may repeat the procedure with greater success the second time. However, your physician may notice the early signs of rejection and salvage the cornea through a modified recovery therapy. Most rejections take place within the first year after the corneal transplant.