Will I still need glasses after cornea transplant?
Are you considering a cornea transplant to improve your vision? If so, you're not alone. Cornea transplants have become a popular solution due to their effectiveness in restoring vision and the relative ease of the procedure. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of cornea transplantation, the risks associated with it, and what you need to know before taking the plunge. So let's get started and find out what a cornea transplant can do for you!
What is a cornea transplant?
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that you or someone you know has struggled with vision problems, and a cornea transplant might just be the thing to help improve your sight. But what exactly is a cornea transplant? Simply put, it’s a surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced with a healthy one from a donor. The cornea is the clear outer layer of the eye, and it plays a crucial role in focusing light and allowing us to see.
When it’s damaged or diseased, it can cause a range of vision problems such as blurred vision, cloudy vision, and even blindness. A corneal transplant (keratoplasty) is a procedure in which some or all of a cornea in need of replacement is removed and replaced with donor tissue. The surgery may be done with traditional surgical technologies or with the aid of a surgical laser.
Why might I need a corneal transplant?
A corneal transplant may be necessary if you sustain a serious injury such as a deep scratch or burn. Clouding or repeated scarring of the corneal tissues over time may eventually obscure vision until you need surgery. Extremely thin corneal tissue caused by keratoconus may also require transplantation. It is important to note that corneal transplants are not used to improve vision but rather to restore the normal anatomy and function of the eye.
What are the different types of corneal transplant?
Endothelial keratoplasty replaces only the inner layer of your corneal tissue with donor tissue. A partial thickness corneal transplant replaces only the middle and outer layers. A penetrating keratoplasty (PK) replaces the full thickness of the corneal tissue. Here at Perich Eye Centers we can advise you when it’s time to consider a corneal transplant and counsel you on the procedure and after care. We can also co-manage your recovery through regular eye and vision exams. We are proud to have many years of expert experience caring for patients with corneas.
Perich Eye Centers most commonly preforms the DSAEK procedure and the Pterygium surgery.
DSAEK, which stands for decimates stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty, is a partial-thickness corneal transplant that replaces only the innermost layer of the cornea. DSAEK is a relatively new surgical technique that affords significant improvements over traditional corneal transplants for certain indications. The surgery itself takes less time, involves a smaller surgical incision, requires minimal stitches, has a shorter healing time, and a faster visual recovery.
DSAEK surgery is performed as an outpatient procedure. Although you will not be asleep during the procedure, you will be given sedation and a local anesthetic to keep you comfortable the entire time. One of our surgeons will make a small incision comparable to that made during cataract surgery. An instrument is then used to remove the diseased inner layer of the cornea. The healthy inner layer of an organ donor cornea is then inserted into the eye and maintained in place with the use of an air bubble that is left in the eye.
During the surgery, you may feel pressure around the eye, but not pain. After the procedure, a patch will be placed over the eye and you will return home where you are instructed to rest for the remainder of the day, lying flat on your back to keep the air against the corneal transplant.
Pterygium surgery is a procedure performed to remove noncancerous conjunctiva growths (pterygia) from the eye. The conjunctiva make up the clear tissue covering the white part of the eye and the inside of the eyelids. Some cases of a pterygium produce little to no symptoms, however severe overgrowth of conjunctiva tissue can cover the cornea and interfere with your vision.
The pterygium surgical procedure is fairly quick and low risk. We will sedate you and numb your eyes to prevent discomfort during surgery, and will then clean the areas surrounding your eye. We will then remove the pterygium along with some associated conjunctiva tissue. Once the pterygium is removed, we will replace it with a graft of associated membrane tissue to prevent recurrent pterygium growths.
Once the pterygium is removed, we will either use sutures or fibrin glue to secure the conjunctiva tissue graft in its place. Both techniques reduce the possibility of recurring pterygia. While using dissolvable sutures may be considered a benchmark practice, it can cause more discomfort post surgery, and extend the recovery time for several weeks. We will discuss whether using traditional sutures versus fibrin glue suture are appropriate for you.
Will I still need glasses after cornea transplant?
This question is harder to give you a concrete answer on. As mentioned above, corneal transplants are not used to improve vision but rather to restore the normal anatomy and function of the eye. It will take time for your eyes to adjust and heal after the cornea transplant. Due to the avascular nature of the cornea, most corneal transplants are highly successful and last for many years. Some people may experience tissue rejection, in which case another transplant may be necessary.
Visual recovery varies depending on the severity of your corneal cloudiness prior to surgery. Recovery time can take anywhere between a couple of weeks to a couple of months for your eye to completely heal, without signs of redness or discomfort. However, this may also be dependent on the type of technique used during surgery.
Generally speaking, it is likely that you will need glasses post cornea surgery during recovery and beyond due to the fact that the donor cornea will not exactly match your original cornea’s curvature causing imperfect vision. It is possible to use special contact lenses as your doctor advises and it is also possible that you could be a candidate for laser vision correction to get closer to that 20/20 vision we all desire.
What can I expect before and after my corneal transplant surgery?
Your surgery time will take about two hours, with time following in post anesthesia care to recover. Some redness, tearing, light sensitivity, and irritation for a few days after your surgery are to be expected. You will be given an eye shield that will protect your treated eye during sleep while it recovers. Eye drops and ointments will be prescribed to protect the eye from complications.
The surgery process day is three steps-
1.) Arrival: After you arrive at the outpatient surgery center, your doctor will numb your eye with drops or an injection near the eye. Your doctor may also give you a medication to relax.
2.) Surgery: Your surgeon will make tiny cuts with a laser or a blade near the edge of your cornea, which is the clear covering on the front of your eye. This will enable your surgeon to reach your cornea and begin repair.
3.) Healing: In most cases, you will not need stitches to close the incisions. The so-called self-sealing incisions will close on their own in time. Your surgeon will place a shield over your eye to protect it during the healing process.
It’s important to not rub your eyes after the procedure to avoid dislodging the attached tissue. We will provide you with aftercare instructions, including cleaning procedures, antibiotics, and scheduling follow-up visits. Your vision will be quite blurry for the first few weeks after surgery as the new cornea is healing. To follow up, repeated visits will be necessary to monitor the progress of the transplant.
If you are ready to see if a cornes transplant may be a viable option for you or a loved one, please feel free to contact us at Perich Eye Centers by clicking here for our contact form or by locating the center most convenient to you from our six Central Florida locations listed below and calling that location directly for an appointment.
