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Preparing
for a transplant
If you are advised to undergo a corneal transplant, your ophthalmologist
will tell you what is required. The transplant will be scheduled
according to the condition of your eye and the availability
of a donor cornea. Occasionally, a shortage of donated corneas
may delay surgery. If both your eyes need new corneas, the
second transplant will not be performed until the first eye
has stabilized, which may take up to a year.
After surgery, you may be permitted to return home the same
day, or you may be required to stay in the hospital for a
day or more.
Some facts you may like to know
- It is not necessary to find
a cornea with a matching tissue or blood type.
- The race, gender, and eye
color of the donor are not important.
- A corneal transplant won’t
change your natural eye color.
- The cornea heals slowly
and improvement in vision may take a year or more.
- It is difficult to shape
the new cornea perfectly. So, astigmatism (a condition where
the cornea has an irregular shape, making images seem blurred
or distorted) is common after a corneal transplant. However,
this can be corrected.
Preparing
for surgery
If you are taking any other medication, ask your ophthalmologist
whether you should continue it. You will probably be asked
not to eat or drink anything for several hours before the
surgery.
Usually a local anesthesia is used for surgery, so you will
be awake but feel no pain. Intravenous medications will help
you relax. The nerves in your eye will be completely numbed
so you will not be able to see or move your eye. Sometimes
the doctor may use general anesthesia.
The transplant procedure
For the transplant, the doctors use an operating microscope
and very delicate instruments. Once the old cornea isremoved,
the new cornea is stitched into place. The sutures or stitches
are barely visible and are not painful, although you might
feel some irritation or a scratching sensation for a few days.
If necessary, other procedures may be performed at the same
time as your transplant. For example, a cataract may be removed
and replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). An IOL may be
replaced or removed. The vitreous gel may be removed from
the eye and replaced with fluid. A damaged iris may be repaired.
Your ophthalmologist will advise you about them.
Some potential risks
As with other surgical procedures, a corneal transplant involves
some risks — most of them can be treated. Some possible complications
are:
- eye infections
- failure of the donor cornea
to function normally
- rejection of the donor cornea
by your body
- cataract (clouding of the
eye’s lens)
- glaucoma (build-up of fluid,
leading to increased pressure in the eye)
- bleeding from the iris
- swelling or detachment of
the retina
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