Why would someone need a corneal transplant?
The cornea of your eye can be damaged through routine activities, sports or at work. Please contact Dr. Croley in Ocala, FL if you believe your cornea or eye has been damaged in any way. Corneal injury, disease or hereditary conditions can cause clouding, distortion and scarring on the cornea, the clear front window of the eye. Corneal clouding looks like frost on a windowpane and blocks the clear passage of light to the back of the eye, reducing sight. In addition, corneal injury and disease can be painful, sometimes the most intense pain experienced.
If the cornea becomes cloudy and doesn’t respond to other treatment, the only way to restore sight is to replace (transplant) the cornea. Fortunately, corneal transplantation or keratoplasty is the most successful of all tissue transplants.
What is the cornea?
Your cornea is the transparent, dome-shaped surface of your eye that accounts for a large part of the eye’s focusing power and ability. A healthy, clear cornea is essential for good vision.
How does the doctor get a new cornea for me?
Corneal tissue for transplant comes from an eye bank. Names of patients needing corneal transplants are placed on a waiting list until tissue becomes available from corneal donors. Dr. Croley is then offered the corneal tissue and reviews all reports prior to accepting or rejecting a cornea for his patients.
What is a corneal transplant?
A corneal transplant is a surgical procedure that replaces part of your cornea with corneal tissue from a donor. There are two main types of cornea transplants, clinically known as keratoplasty — full thickness cornea transplant and back layer cornea transplant.
Who is a candidate for a corneal transplant?
When disease or injury affects the cornea, it can change its shape and clarity, making it harder to see clearly. A corneal transplant may be recommended when glasses or contact lenses can no longer provide enough vision for everyday activities. In some cases, persistent pain or swelling may also make a transplant necessary.
Conditions that may be treated with a corneal transplant include:
- Keratoconus or a bulging cornea
- Fuchs’ dystrophy
- Corneal thinning
- Clouding of the cornea
- Corneal scarring caused by injury or infection
- Corneal swelling
- Corneal ulcers
- Complications from previous eye surgery
Your ophthalmologist can evaluate your cornea, vision, and overall eye health to determine if a corneal transplant is an appropriate treatment option.
How do I prepare for a corneal transplant?
Prior to your surgery, Dr. Croley will give you a thorough eye exam to be sure your eye doesn’t have conditions that may cause rejection of the new cornea tissue. He’ll measure your eye to determine the size of cornea you need. If there are other eye conditions, such as an eye infection or inflammation, these will need to be cleared up before any transplant surgery can be considered.
Unlike other organ transplants, where there can be a lengthy wait time for donor organs, this is not usually a problem with cornea transplants. Many people have opted to become eye donors upon their death.
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What can I expect from a corneal transplant?
Prior to your surgery, you’ll be given a sedative. You’ll be awake during the procedure but your eye will have local anesthetic, so you won’t feel anything.
In the most common type of cornea transplant, Dr. Croley cuts through the entire thickness of the abnormal or diseased cornea to remove a circular disk of tissue. To precisely make this cut, Dr. Croley uses a trephine that will make the circular button-sized cut.
Now the donor cornea is cut to fit the same size and is placed is the space of the removed circle of tissue. Dr. Croley stitches this new cornea into place and the procedure is complete.
In some patients, full-thickness cornea transplants aren’t the way to go. These procedures remove certain layers of cornea tissue, either the back layers or front layers, which are then replaced with donor tissue.
What is the recovery time for a corneal transplant?
Healing after a corneal transplant is a gradual process, and complete recovery may take a year or longer. Vision can remain blurry or fluctuate during the early stages as the eye heals and adapts to the donor cornea. Improvement typically occurs over time, although the pace of recovery can vary from person to person.
Protecting your eye is especially important while it heals. You will need to avoid heavy lifting and strenuous exercise for several weeks because these activities can increase pressure around the head and eyes. Dr. Croley will let you know when it is appropriate to resume these activities based on your healing progress gradually.
Steroid eye drops are commonly used for several months to reduce inflammation and help prevent rejection of the donor cornea. You will also need to protect the treated eye with eyeglasses or an eye shield as directed, particularly during the early recovery period. Keeping your follow-up appointments allows Dr. Croley to monitor the transplant and adjust your aftercare as your eye heals.
What Are the Risks and Side Effects of a Corneal Transplant?
Like other surgical procedures, a corneal transplant carries some risks, including infection. One of the primary concerns after surgery is corneal graft rejection, which occurs when the immune system identifies the donor tissue as foreign and begins to attack it.
Recognizing possible signs of rejection early is important because prompt treatment may help protect the transplanted cornea. An easy way to remember the warning signs is RSVP:
- R – Redness
- S – Sensitivity to light
- V – Vision changes or decreased vision
- P – Pain
Graft rejection can occur months or even years after a corneal transplant, so ongoing monitoring remains important. Steroid eye drops may be prescribed to reduce the risk of rejection, and regular follow-up visits allow Dr. Croley to monitor the transplanted cornea’s health. Contact our office promptly if you notice any of the warning signs above.
What is the success rate for corneal transplants?
Success rates of corneal transplants are very high and continue to increase with new techniques and better eye bank protocols. If the patient can avoid rejection (or at least see the signs to reverse it early), success rates for this surgery are around 90 percent. It is one of the most successful of all tissue transplants in the body.
Will I need vision correction after this surgery?
Once the outer layer of your cornea has healed, Dr. Croley can work with you to make adjustments to further improve your vision.
- Astigmatism — The stitches that hold your donor tissue in place can sometimes cause dips and bumps in your cornea, making your vision blurry in spots. He can release some stitches and tighten others to address this.
- Refractive errors — Just as with eyes that don’t have a cornea transplant, refractive errors such as nearsightedness and farsightedness can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or even LASIK/PRK surgery in some cases.
What should I understand about the surgery?
The surgery consists of a transfer of the clear central part of the cornea from the donor’s eye to the patient’s eye. Soon after the operation, the patient can walk around and resume activity. The procedure takes about 1-2 hours. Dr. Croley performs this outpatient surgery at Central Florida Eye Institute in Ocala. Your ability to drive and do other activities will be discussed at your pre-operative appointment prior to your surgery. You will be put on eye drops for several weeks. You will need to return to see Dr. Croley for several post operative appointments.
How long until I can see well again?
Return of best vision after corneal transplant may take up to a year after the surgery depending on the rate of healing and the health of the rest of the eye. Each patient if different, all your individual medical conditions and daily needs are unique and will be considered so that you are completely informed prior to your procedure.
Contact Us!
Central Florida Eye Institute proudly offers the Ocala, Gainesville, Lady Lake, Leesburg, and Inverness, Florida area corneal transplant surgery. For more information call (352) 237-8400 or visit our Contact Us page to request a consultation today!