Cornea Surgery
When a cornea becomes swollen, scarred and warped, light cannot pass through the cornea to reach the retina and then vision becomes decreased or lost depending on the severity of the corneal opacity. There are a number of diseases that can lead to a cloudy, swollen or warped cornea. These include, Fuchs’ corneal dystrophy, keratoconus, corneal swelling after eye surgery, or scarring after corneal trauma. In these situations a full replacement of the cornea may be needed to restore or improve vision. The procedure is called Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK) or Corneal Transplant. During the procedure the almost the entire cornea is removed from the eye and replaced with a donor cornea. The donor tissue is secured with sutures that are placed on the edges of the transplant. The sutures will remain in place for several months and are slowly removed over the course of 1 to 2 years or it may be left in place indefinitely. Following surgery, eye medications are used to help prevent possible infections and graft rejection.