Cornea transplant

Cornea transplant, also referred to as keratoplasty, is often recommended to people who are no longer able to see because of damage to the cornea. The cornea may get damaged because of scarring, injury or certain inherited conditions. As a result, light is unable to enter the eye for proper vision.

Corneal transplant surgery involves the transplant of damaged cornea in the eye with a healthy tissue. The corneal graft is taken from either all or selected layers of the donor. Depending on the extent of damage, the patient may require complete cornea replacement or just a few tweaks in one of the layers of the cornea. The recovery of the patient after the transplant and the level of invasiveness during the surgery depends on whether entire cornea is replaced or just a few layers are transplanted.

Some patients may experience a few side effects, depending on the number of layers that are replaced. Scarring, vision problems, retinal detachment, bleeding (rare) and infection (rare) are some of the cornea transplant complications.

Cornea transplant cost depends on whether it is conducted as an outpatient or an inpatient procedure. Full thickness transplant of the cornea is typically an inpatient procedure, while the selective layer transplant (mostly outer membrane) is conducted as an outpatient procedure.