A Corneal Transplant is a surgery in which a damaged Cornea is replaced with a functioning one. Your ophthalmologist may recommend a corneal transplant if your cornea cannot be repaired. Replacement corneas are provided by human doners (people who choose to donate their bodies, including corneas, after their deaths to people who are in need of them) and are tested to be functioning and safe before the transplant.
Full Thickness Corneal Transplant
A Full Thickness Corneal Transplant involves the replacement of the entire cornea. It is needed when both the front and back layers of the cornea are damaged. It’s also known as a Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK). The healing process takes longer than other procedures and regaining complete vision may take six months or longer. It is not uncommon that patients may need to be fitted with a hard contact lens once the healing is complete.
Endothelial Keratoplasty
An Endothelial Keratoplasty involves replacing the endothelium (the thin back layer of the cornea). Damaged cells from an inner layer known as Descemet’s Membrane are also removed. This procedure is specifically tailored to alleviate corneal swelling in patients after ocular surgery, such as cataract extraction or in patients predisposed to corneal swelling due to conditions such as Fuch’s Dystrophy. The advantage of this procedure is that the patient’s own cornea is not replaced. This results in faster healing times (one month in most cases) as well as better visual outcomes.