EYE TRANSPLANTATION

A cornea transplant, also called keratoplasty, is a surgical procedure to replace part of your cornea with corneal tissue from a donor.

Cornea transplant is most often used to restore vision to a person who has a damaged cornea. A cornea transplant may also relieve pain or other signs and symptoms associated with diseases of the cornea.

A number of conditions can be treated with a cornea transplant, including:

• A cornea that bulges outward (keratoconus)
• Fuchs’ dystrophy
• Thinning of the cornea
• Cornea scarring, caused by infection or injury
• Clouding of the cornea
• Swelling of the cornea
• Corneal ulcers, including those caused by infection
• Complications caused by previous eye surgery

DALK (Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty) is a newer method of corneal surgical procedure that selectively removes the diseased anterior (near to the front) layers of the cornea and retains the healthy innermost layer (endothelium). As the inner layer is retained, the body does not recognize the donor tissue, hence there is no/minimal risk of rejection, and steroid medications need not be continued for a long duration.

This minimally invasive procedure has revolutionized corneal grafting for conditions such as:

• Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy
• Pseudophakic Bullous Keratopathy