Do you know someone who is going blind? If you do, you might be searching for ways to help that person not lose their vision. You may wonder about the different treatments and what they can do. Research has found that corneal transplants are more effective than eye drops for people suffering from keratoconus. A condition that causes the eyeball to bulge and the cornea to thin. Corneal transplants can help restore vision to some people diagnosed with keratoconus. The process is done by removing the damaged cells and replacing them with healthy ones from a donor. Which patients are candidates for this procedure, and what does it entail? These topics will be discussed in this article.
Benefits of Getting a Cornea Transplant
There are many benefits of undergoing a successful cornea transplant. Slime of the obvious benefits include:
- Cornea transplants can help restore corneal clarity. It helps improve the patient's vision.
- It can restore vision if the donor is an individual who has no family history of keratoconus or if there are no family members with it.
- The procedure is a very simple one. It is done quickly with a few weeks of recovery time.
- It is a solution to Fuchs' dystrophy. This degenerative eye condition is caused by the gradual breakdown of the cornea's cells.
- The operation is reversible. The person can return to normal vision after the procedure if they stop taking care of the cornea.
- The procedure is safe. The patient can wear their glasses and contact lenses after the operation. It does not affect their eyesight or vision correction.
- The patient does not need to wear an eye patch after the transplant. They can get on with their normal lives.
- Patients are advised to take care of their new cornea to ensure better vision and avoid complications such as infection, glaucoma, and scarring.
- The cost of the procedure is normally covered by insurance.
How the Procedure Works
The process involves removing the patient's damaged cornea and replacing it with a healthy donor cornea. The donor cornea is chosen based on the patient's eye condition and corneal thickness.
The victim is given a local numbing around their eye before the transplant. It will take about 45 minutes to get done. Next, doctors will make tiny incisions in the eye to remove the scarred tissue.
The donor cornea will be placed on the patient's eye and secured. Some patients may need stitches after the procedure. After the transplant, the patient will be instructed to wear a patch to protect the eye.
The patient may need a follow-up appointment to check on the transplanted organ. They will do this to ensure their eye is healing properly after the operation. The sutures should dissolve on their own.
There are several surgical alternatives that your surgeon can perform during the procedure. Some of them include:
- Endothelial keratoplasty
- Penetrating keratoplasty
- Artificial cornea transplant
- Anterior lamellar keratoplasty
After the operation, the patient will see clearly. They may need glasses or contact lenses to help aid vision.
Risks and Complications
Complications can occur after the surgery. After the procedure, they will also need to take care of their eye. They must avoid rubbing or hitting it and use caution when performing activities that can damage their eye again. Complications involved include:
- Bleeding - When the donor cornea is placed on the patient's eye, there is a small chance of bleeding.
- New cornea detachment - The risk of the new cornea detaching from the eye is present. It can be caused by long-term rubbing or hitting.
- Infections - It is possible to get an infection after having a cornea transplant. The patient should take good care of their eye to prevent this.
- Glaucoma and cataracts - There is a chance that glaucoma and cataract may occur after the operation. You can control them with the use of eye drops and glasses.
A cornea transplant is a safe and simple procedure that can greatly impact restoring sight.