Corneal transplantation
Content
Description
The cornea is the anterior translucent part of the eye through which light enters the pupil, the lens and then onto the retina, where the image is formed.
If the cornea is damaged, light cannot pass through it and the image is not sharp, poor quality or cloudy.
Cornea transplantation (keratoplasty) can currently be performed under local anesthesia as part of ourpatient procedure.
Facts
- Local anesthesia
- Outpatient procedure
- Procedure lasts about 1 hour
- Vision improvement after 3 weeks
The cornea can be damaged by:
- Injury
- Keratoconus
- Infections
- Dysfunction of the internal endothelium
The cornea consists of 3 parts:
- The outer epithelium - which is usually moistened by tears
- The middle layer (stroma)
- The inner endothelium
Therefore we can also distinguish between a full-thickness transplantation and a transplantation of a part of the cornea.
Cornea transplantion options include:
- Perforating (total) keratoplasty (PK) - the entire (full-thickness) cornea is transplanted.
- Lamellar corneal transplantaion (Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty - DALK) - only the damaged outer part of the cornea is replaced.
- Endothelial keratoplasty (EK) - replacing the deeper layer of the cornea
The cornea is a unique structure in the human body and therefore only a cornea graf from donor can be transplanted.
The cornea grafts are stored in tissue banks, where they are specially handled.
- After the keratoplasty a rejection reaction may occur to transplants.
- The eye must therefore be regularly dripped with antibiotic and corticosteroid drops that affect locally on the eye.
- Healing after surgery takes about 1 to 2 months, vision improves in about 3 weeks.
