Cornea Transplant

The surgical removal of a cornea that has been damaged and replacing it with a healthy cornea is termed as corneal transplant. It is also known as keratoplasty. This procedure helps in the improvement of eye sight as well as relief to the pain of the eye that had been diseased or damaged.

Cornea transplant is opted in cases where the misshaping has occurred to an extent where other treatments fail to be effective. It is also advised in cases where the cornea has been damaged because of an injury, infection or a disease.

Cornea is basically transparent in nature. It helps in focussing and transmission of light to the retina from the lens. When any damage occurs to cornea, the transparency is lost. This causes the person to develop a distorted image. So cornea transplant is advised.

Necessity of cornea transplant

The basic need for cornea transplant is the improvement of eye sight, alleviation of the pain or the repairing of the perforation in cases where cornea has been ruptured.

The other conditions that require cornea transplant are:

Keratoconus is a condition where the cornea becomes weak and thinner as well as changes its shape. This condition can be found in the early stages of the teens. The rectification of mild forms of this condition can be done by using glasses or contact lenses. But in certain cases, it progresses to a condition where the corneal transplant becomes a necessity.
Endothelial failure is a condition which is normally seen in older people. The endothelial cells which present on inner surface of cornea, pumping the fluid for clearing the cornea, at times get damaged or diseased because of non-replacement of the cells. In such cases, the cornea looks water logged as well as cloudy. This causes a lack in clear vision. In such cases, one should opt for cornea transplant.
Corneal dystrophy is a condition affecting both the yes. It is normally an inherited disorder and is very rarely seen.
Corneal scarring where the cornea becomes scarred due to a disease, an infection or an injury.
Corneal astigmatism
Corneal oedema.

How is corneal transplant performed

Corneal transplant is done in the following ways.

The penetrating keratoplasty where the central piece of the cornea that is damaged will be removed in a circular way and another healthy one is replaced.
Descemets stripping endothelial keratoplasty where the endothelial lining is removed and replaced with fresh ones.
Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty where the stroma that has been affected will be surgically removed and a new front part is replaced for better vision.

Risks

The risks associated with cornea transplant are:

Rejection of the replaced corneal tissue by the recipient’s immune system as it is treated as a foreign body.
This can result in:

• pain or irritation
• redness of the eyes
• blurred vision
• sensitivity to light

If the stitches that hold the transplanted cornea break or loosen, it can result in the development of infection, which in turn can even cause complete loss of vision.
Glaucoma where the pressure inside the eye increases to a level causing damage of the retinal nerves.
Detachment of the retina