Cornea transplant
It's important to take good care of your eye after a cornea transplant to help ensure a good recovery and reduce the risk of complications.
Most peoplehave to stay in hospital for onenight after a full-thickness cornea transplant (penetrating keratoplasty).You may be able to go home the same day if you have a partial-thickness transplant.
Youreye may be covered with an eye pad or plastic shield, which is removed the day after the procedure. When it's taken away, you may find that your sight is blurred. This is normal.
There shouldn't be serious pain after the operation, but there might be some swelling and discomfort.
If you've had an endothelial keratoplastya type of partial-thickness transplant that uses an air bubble to hold the donated cornea in place you may be askedto lie on your back as much as possible in the first few days after surgery. This can help hold the transplant in the correct place. The air bubble will be absorbed after a few days.
Once you return home after the procedure, you'll need to take good care of your eye. Some important points to remember include:
You'll usually be given a patch to wear at night for the first few weeks after surgery to help protect your eye.
For all types of cornea transplant, you have to use steroid or antibiotic eye drops daily. These are normally required for several months, although some people may need to use them for more than a year. The drops reduce swelling and inflammation and help prevent infection and rejection.
At first you'll need to attend regular follow-up appointments. These should gradually become less frequent over time.
Ifstitches were used to hold thetransplant in place, these are initiallyleft in placeto allow the cornea to heal. They are usually removedafter about ayear.
The time it takes for your vision to return after a cornea transplant can range from as little as a few weeks up to a year or more. This largely depends on the specific procedure used. In some cases, your vision may fluctuate between being better or worse before it settles down.
It's likely you'll need corrective lenses (either glasses or contact lenses), even after your vision returns. In some cases, a small operation called arcuate keratotomy (AK) or laser treatment is used to correct vision problems after your eyes have healed.
A cornea transplant is an operation used to remove all or part of a damaged cornea and replace it with healthy cornea tissue from the eye of a suitable donor.
Cornea transplants are usually performed to correct problems with your eyesight caused by certain medical conditions.
There are a number of different types of cornea transplant procedure, depending on the areas of the cornea that need to be replaced.
As with all types of surgery, there are several risks and possible complications involved with having a cornea transplant.
It's important to take good care of your eye after a cornea transplant to help ensure a good recovery and reduce the risk of complications.
Paul Rigg says getting his sight back after a cornea transplant was like waking up after a long sleep.
Don Short, 80, from East Sussex, couldn't read a book or newspaper and was unable to watch TV until he had a cornea graft.