Easing Your Fears: Everything You Need to Know About Cornea Transplants

Did you know that every year in the United States there are over 40,000 cornea transplant surgeries performed? At Cornea & Cataract Consultants of Arizona, our surgeons treat every cornea transplant with attention and care.

We understand how overwhelming and frightening the thought of eye surgery can be. Here is some information about the procedure to help ease your fears.

When is a Cornea Transplant Needed?
An optometrist would suggest a transplant for a patient who has vision problems that prescription eyeglasses cannot fix. It is also an option when the eyes swell painfully and medication has no impact.

What Exactly is Your Cornea?
Your cornea is a thin clear tissue covering the front of each of your eyes. All of the lights and images you see pass through the cornea. Your cornea needs to stay clear in order to see well.

There are a number of issues which can damage your cornea. Each of these issues make your cornea cloudy which impacts your vision in a negative way:

• Fuchs’ dystrophy – a progressive eye disease
• Lattice dystrophy – a rare corneal disease
• Keratoconus – a progressive eye disease

What are the Risks Associated with the Surgery?
While a cornea transplant is considered a safe procedure, there are a few risks and side effects to be aware of. These include:

• Eye infection
• Dry eyes
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Swelling
• Transplant rejection

How Do You Know the Cornea was Rejected?
As noted above, cornea transplants are typically safe and successful. However, in about 20% of cases, a patient’s body might reject the transplant, requiring medical treatment and another transplant. If you experience any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor right away:

• Vision loss
• Irritation in the form of pain, redness, and swelling
• Light sensitivity

Recovering from the Transplant
The reason a patient needs a cornea transplant largely impacts the success rate of the surgery. Statistics and research shows that a donated cornea can last for a decade. The success rate for individuals with specific eye diseases includes:

• 89% success rate for keratoconus
• 73% for Fuchs’ dystrophy
• 60% for Lattice dystrophy

If you think you would benefit from a cornea transplant surgery, please call us to schedule an appointment with one of our specialists today.

Every little piece of the body is a working miracle. Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that each of your fingers move? Or that your brain can control everything? Or that your eyes can receive and process images so quickly? Perhaps another miracle is that of modern medicine. Today, there are so many different treatments for when our body malfunctions and is not so miraculous. Among these blessings in the medical world is the cornea transplant surgery, which provides a ray of hope to all of those (perhaps you included!) who have partially or fully lost their eyesight due to cornea damage.

Cornea & Cataract Consultants of Arizona is your place to go for these delicate treatments. Here’s what you need to know.

What Happens During a Cornea Transplant?

A cornea transplant treats the outer portion of the eye through surgery. Also called corneal grafting, the transplant is usually done when the cornea has been ripped or otherwise damaged. You will require a healthy cornea from a donor, which is usually obtained through an eye bank. Although the whole cornea is often replaced, there are times when it will only be a partial replacement.

Cornea transplant are very beneficial and will give you the following effects:

• Improvement in your vision.
• Decrease in any eye inflammation.
• Decrease in the pain caused by the malfunctioning eye.

Here at Cornea & Cataract Consultants of Arizona, we do our best to make sure that the surgery is beneficial to you and worth your time and money. It is only performed after extensive consultation with our board of doctors and medical specialists. They will put you at ease and answer any questions you might have.

The recovery period varies from patient to patient, depending on their prior health. However, here at our center, we ensure that each patient is carefully monitored after surgery, to both record and aid the entire recovery process. Before, during, and after surgery, we meet high, world-class standards.

Make your world (and vision) brighter today through an appointment with the Cornea & Cataract Consultants of America!