Cornea transplant

 

Ok this week we are looking at cornea transplant the cornea is the transparent outer layer of the eye that covers the iris and pupil. If someone’s cornea becomes damaged or diseased they will not be able to see correctly, a cornea transplant can be performed to fix the problem.

There are many things that can cause damage to the cornea such as bacteria or viruses, a chemical injury, a cut or scratch or just aging.

This operation is very difficult, surgeons work using a special operating microscope to magnify the eye 30 to                     60 times what it is.

The damaged cornea is cut with a circular blade with a hole in the centre, kinda like punching out a circle of pastry with a pastry cutter, after this is done the damaged cornea is removed.

Then the surgeon cuts a disc from a healthy donated cornea and places it carefully in the hole, with this new disc being held in place by stitching it to the edges of the cornea.

This new cornea will allow the person to see clearly again in a couple of months; however, the stitches need to be in place for a year.

After the operation the patient only needs to stay in hospital for a short while, but they must take great care, they will need special drops to help the eye heal and be kept clean. Only gentle movements are allowed for a few days to give the new cornea time to settle into place. After a few weeks things should return to normal.

After donated corneas are removed they can be stored in an eye bank for up to a month they are kept at between 2 & 6 degrees centigrade in a special solution containing chemicals and drugs. Which keep them healthy till needed, now days there are artificial corneas which are a synthetic implant that can be used if there is no natural one available or if there has been failures when transplanting in the past.

The first cornea transplant was in 1906, since then the advances in medicine have made it one of the most successful transplant operations. The cornea has no blood vessels and therefore the white blood cells of the immune system cannot reach it and the body is very unlikely to reject the new tissue.