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What is Corneal Transplant?

The cornea is the tissue on the very front of the eye. It is clear and covers the iris and pupil. It works with the lens to provide focusing power to the eye. If the cornea becomes opaque, swollen, or scarred, vision is compromised.

Damage Control

Medication to control the damage to the cornea is usually the first line of treatment, but once it is clear that medication will not halt or alter the damage, a corneal transplant is considered. This surgical procedure involves the removal of the damaged tissue and replacement with a healthy, donated human cornea.

Because this procedure is a transplant of foreign tissue into the eye, rejection of the tissue by the immune system of the recipient is the greatest risk. However, drugs can be used to hold back the rejection reaction both before it occurs and even after the fact. The rejection rate for corneal transplants is between 5–10% at 10 years after surgery.

What are the benefits of corneal transplant surgery?

Corneal transplant surgery allows a patient to recover vision after suffering corneal opacity due to infection, inflammation or as a result of cataract surgery. Symptoms associated with corneal disease usually disappear after corneal transplant surgery.

How is a corneal transplant performed?

Surgery consists in replacement of the central corneal tissue with a trephine of varying diameters depending on the size of the eye, cornea and type of corneal disease. The donated corneal tissue is sutured in place, which will be removed once the cornea has healed and your doctor deems it necessary.

How will I know if I am a candidate for surgery?

In the later stages of keratoconus, several clinical signs are visible on examination. However, numerous information is not available on simple examination, such as keratoconus size, staging, corneal thinning, among other information necessary to determine if a patient is a candidate for corneal ring surgery. Elevation corneal topography should be performed in any patient with keratoconus.

How long does surgery last?

The surgery lasts 30 to 40 minutes. Recovery time at the Clinic is around 3 hours. The procedure is ambulatory.

Will I have pain?

There is NO pain during surgery. The great majority of patients do no experience pain after surgery. Usual symptoms include slight burning sensation, and tearing. These symptoms usually subside after a couple of days.

What will happen after surgery?

After the surgery, you will be in recovery for about one to two hours. Once your vital signs are stable and are completely oriented, you will be discharged to go home or a hotel. A patch will be placed over the eye for a day. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops will be used during several weeks after surgery.
 It is important to not touch your eyes after surgery, you may not exercise or drive until the ophthalmologist authorizes such activities.

Who is the ideal candidate for surgery?

Corneal damage from many different sources can be treated with a transplant. Some conditions that can result in a transplant are:

  • corneal failure after other eye surgery
  • keratoconus – a disease involving abnormal curvature of the cornea
  • inherited corneal diseases
  • scarring after infections – particularly herpes
  • rejection of a first transplant
  • scarring after a physical injury

Whatever the source of the damage, an ideal candidate has explored pharmaceutical treatments to these problems and they have been eliminated in their case. The vision from the diseased cornea should be so affected as to justify the risks inherent in a transplant procedure.

What experience do we have in Corneal Transplant Surgery?

Corneal transplant surgery is a delicate surgery that is not practiced at by every ophthalmologist or at every ophthalmology clinic. This type of surgery requires specialized installations, training in management and logistics of corneal tissue, licensing permits by the state and federal health ministry and experience. The aforementioned will all contribute in one way or another to the success or failure of a corneal transplant surgery.

The Corneal Transplant Program at Clinica de Ojos de Tijuana has been in operation during the last 15 years. According to state officials from the Baja California State Transplant Commission during the years 2007 to 2010, Clinica de Ojos de Tijuana performed 70% of the corneal transplant in the State of Baja California. The success of corneal transplant surgery at Clinica de Ojos de Tijuana is over 95%. We have corneal specialists trained to perform corneal transplant surgery. They have also been certified by the APABO (PanAmerican Asociation of Eye Banks) in the management of eye banks and eye tissue.

What can I expect after surgery?

After surgery, you will be in the recovery area until you are discharged. You will be able to go home the same day. A patch will be placed over the eye, that will be removed the next day. Antibiotic and Anti-inflammatory eye drops will be used during the following days and weeks to help speed recovery.

It is important to avoid touching your eye after the surgery, avoid exercising and no driving during several weeks until your ophthalmologist authorizes such activities.

What is the recovery period like?

Recovery time is long lasting between 6 and 12 months to ensure proper wound healing.

It is important to look out for certain symptoms that could indicate a problem such as corneal rejection. These symptoms include sudden vision loss, redness, tearing pain and light sensitivity.

AFTER ONE DAY

What can I expect long term?

Vision will improve slowly over weeks and months. It is normal for prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses to be prescribed once all stitches are removed.

AFTER ONE YEAR (left)

Key Points Summary
  • Corneal Strengthening: Increases the strength and stability of the cornea in patients with keratoconus.
  • Halts Progression of Keratoconus: Effective in stopping the progression of the condition, preventing further vision loss.
  • UV Light and Riboflavin: Procedure involves the application of riboflavin solution followed by UV light exposure to strengthen the cornea.
  • Early Intervention: Most effective when performed early in the disease’s progression.
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Copyright Š 2024 Tijuana Eye Center. All Rights Reserved.Todos Los Derechos Reservados. ATENCION AL PUBLICO EN GENERAL Permiso COFEPRIS 203300201A0987 LS 17AM020040034 Responsable Sanitario Dr. Juan P. Rodriguez P. 4452528 Escuela Superior de Oftalmologia del Instituto Barraquer de America.

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