• Cornea transplant is most often used to restore vision to a person who has damaged cornea, due to any injury or any previous eye surgery.
• Discomfort or pain in eyes
• Photophobia (light sensitivity)
• Blurred vision
• Cornea scarring, caused by infection or injury.
• Cloudy vision
• Swollen eyes

• Doctor will do a thorough eye exam of the patient.
• Than doctor will determine the size of donor cornea required by measuring patient’s eye.
• Doctor will check all medications and supplements patient is taking and will stop which needed to be.
• Other eye treatment will be treated if there is any, before the surgery of cornea transplant.

Option choose to perform cornea transplant depends on the cause of the damage of cornea, condition of cornea and patient’s unique needs.

There are three surgical options for cornea transplant:

PENETRATING KERATOPLASTY:

In this procedure, surgeon will use a small surgical blade to remove the entire centre part of the damaged cornea and will replace it with a healthy same shaped peace of donor cornea.

LAMELLAR KERATOPLASTY:

This procedure is performed, when the inner most layer of patient’s cornea is healthy, but the middle and outer layers are damaged. This procedure is also known as partial thickness cornea implant. During the procedure, doctor will remove the middle and outer layers of cornea and will replace it with healthy corneal tissue.

ENDOTHELIAL KERATOPLASTY:

This procedure will be beneficial, if the innermost layer of cornea, the endothelium will be damaged. In this procedure, damaged endothelial tissue will be replaced with the healthy donor tissues.

During the procedure, doctor will not use any stitches. An air bubble will be used, to keep the donor cornea in position.

• After the surgery, there will be expected red, irritated eye and eye sensitive to light.
• Several oral medications and eye drops will be prescribed after surgery to control infection, swelling and pain.
• Patient need to wear eye patch after the surgery, especially while taking shower and sleeping till his/her next visit to doctor.
• Stitches may need to be removed, depends on the type of stitches and surgical techniques used.
• Glasses and eye wear will be suggested by doctor for a period of time.
• After surgery patient need to take extra precautions to avoid harming eye, for life long.
• Frequent follow ups and eye exams will be required for a year after the surgery, which will help to reduce complications.
• In the case of endothelial keratoplasty, patient will need to position his/her face up for few days after the surgery, so the bubble can keep the corneal tissue in place.

• Rejection of the donor cornea
• Eye infection- in the cornea or inside the eye.
• Bleeding
• Fluid leakage from cornea
• Detached retina (tissue lining the back of the eye, pulls away from the eye).
• Increased risk of clouding of the eye’s lens (cataract)
• Pressure increase within the eye ball (Glaucoma)
• Detachment of corneal transplant