Corneal transplant

Alternative names:

keratoplasty

Definition:

Surgery to replace the clear covering of the eye (cornea) that is damaged and no longer transparent.

Description:

Corneal transplant is done with the patient awake and pain-free (local anesthesia). The damaged cornea is removed and the corneal graft is stitched in place.

Corneal transplant tissues are donated by dying patients and their families and are kept in an "eye bank". Though most transplanted tissues carry the risk of the body rejecting it as "foreign material", the very limited blood supply of the cornea greatly reduces this risk and most corneal transplants function extremely well for many years.

Indications:

Corneal transplantation is recommended for:

• severe corneal infection, injury, damage, or scarring
• corneas that no longer allow light to pass through (opaque)