what to expect after corneal transplant?

What should I expect after my cornea transplant?

For the first few days after surgery, expect your eye to be red, irritated, and sensitive to light. Typically, pain can be controlled with over-the-counter pain relievers that your surgeon can recommend.

Your eye will be covered with an eye patch after your surgery. The eye patch must be worn when you shower and sleep. Your surgeon will also talk about activities you will need to avoid, especially any activities that could result in a direct hit to your eye. For endothelial transplants, you will need to position with your face up (on your back) for a few days after surgery.

You will have a follow-up visit with your surgeon, usually within 24 to 48 hours of your surgery. He or she will remove your eye patch and check on how well your eye is healing. Also, eye drops and ointments will be prescribed to help your eye heal. Eye drops and ointments usually prescribed are both antibiotics (to prevent infection) and corticosteroids (to reduce swelling, inflammation, and to prevent rejection).

Stitches may need to be removed depending on the type of stitches and surgical technique used. If stitches do need to be removed, they may not be removed for several months.

Your surgeon will recommend that you wear glasses or other protective eyewear for a period of time to help protect your eyes. While recovering, you should not rub or press on your eyes. Rubbing can cause damage and interfere with healing.

Once your cornea transplant is completed, you can expect to:

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. Receive several medications. Eyedrops and, sometimes, oral medications immediately after cornea transplant and during recovery will help control infection, swelling and pain.

. Wear an eye patch. An eye patch may protect your eye as it heals after your surgery.

. Protect your eye from injury. Plan to take it easy after your cornea transplant, and slowly work your way up to your normal activities, including exercise. For the rest of your life, you'll need to take extra precautions to avoid harming your eye.

. Return for frequent follow-up exams. Expect frequent eye exams in which your doctor looks for complications in the first year after surgery.

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What is the prognosis (outlook) for people who have a cornea transplant?

The degree of long-term success depends on a number of factors including the underlying cause of the cornea damage, surgical technique used, expertise of the surgeon, patient’s immune system acceptance of the donor transplant (organ rejection) and other factors. Because the rates vary so greatly, you should ask your doctor about the rate of success in your eye. It is important to keep in mind that vision is usually blurred after surgery and will gradually improve over time. The length of time it takes to return to good vision depends on several factors, including the type of surgery performed. It may take up to 12 months for full vision to be achieved in patients who undergo full thickness tissue transplant. For endothelial transplants (DMEK and DSAEK), good vision is typically achieved within 3 months.

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Will I need to wear glasses or contacts after cornea transplant?

An irregular cornea surface is expected following full thickness corneal transplant surgery. This imperfection in the curve of the cornea, called astigmatism, results in distorted vision. Correction with glasses, contact lenses, or additional surgery is often needed. Special types of contact lenses (rigid gas permeable or scleral lenses [a larger lens that lays on the white part of the eye]) are not typically needed following endothelial transplants, but may be needed after penetrating keratoplasty or deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty surgery. Your surgeon will discuss the best options to meet your vision needs.

How soon can I drive after a cornea transplant?

You must not drive on the day of your cornea transplant. Someone must drive you home after surgery and bring you back for your follow-up visit.

If you have good vision in the non-transplant eye, you can legally drive 24 hours after surgery. However, your surgeon may recommend waiting longer before driving.

When can I return to work after a cornea transplant?

It may take a few days to a few weeks before you can return to work. It depends on your level of discomfort, your vision and what activities you perform at work. Jobs that require strenuous activity such as lifting may need more time off from work.

When should I call my surgeon?

Contact your surgeon immediately if you experience any signs of cornea rejection, including:

. Eye pain

. Eye redness

. Hazy or cloudy vision

. Sensitivity to light

If you notice any other problems in your vision after cornea transplant, or you experience symptoms of infection, such as fever, eye drainage, or pain, contact your surgeon.

10 common question about what to expect after corneal transplant

1How long does it take to recover from a corneal transplant?

6 to 12 weeks Your vision may be blurry for a period of time after surgery. For some people, it may take 6 to 12 weeks to get the full benefits of surgery and to see as clearly as possible. Your doctor will give you eyedrops to help your eye heal and prevent your body from rejecting the donor tissue.

2What are the symptoms of corneal transplant rejection?

Graft rejection is characterized by one or more of these patient symptoms: redness, pain, photophobia and decreased vision.

3What can I expect after a partial corneal transplant?

Although quite cloudy immediately after DMEK, vision typically begins improving within 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. Patients can usually be fitted for glasses within 1 to 2 months (compared to 4 to 6 months after DSAEK and 12 to 18 months after a full thickness transplant).

4What can you do after a corneal transplant?

An eye patch may protect your eye as it heals after your surgery. Protect your eye from injury. Plan to take it easy after your cornea transplant, and slowly work your way up to your normal activities, including exercise. For the rest of your life, you'll need to take extra precautions to avoid harming your eye

5Can you go blind from a corneal transplant?

A corneal transplant involves replacing a diseased or scarred cornea with a new one. When the cornea becomes cloudy, light cannot penetrate the eye to reach the light sensitive retina. Poor vision or blindness may result.

6What happens if a corneal transplant fails?

Complications of a corneal transplant can be significant and can include cornea graft rejection, eye infection and problems associated with the use of stitches. Rejection of the donor tissue is the most serious complication after a corneal transplant and occurs in 5 to 30 percent of patients.

7Why do cornea transplants fail?

Corneal Transplantation Failed. ... Failure can occur for a number of reasons, the most common one being endothelial decompensation, either due to graft rejection or "endothelial exhaustion," where enough of the endothelial cells die off and the cornea becomes edematous.

8How many corneal transplants can you have?

How often are cornea transplants performed? Currently, ophthalmologists perform more than 47,000 corneal transplants in the U.S. every year.

9Can a living person donate a cornea?

For the most part, corneal donation comes from people who are dead. In very rare circumstances, a donor may be living. ... If an eye is blind and it is removed, but is healthy in the front, that cornea might also be used. There are no instances of donation between people who are living in other circumstances.

10Can corneal transplant change your eye color?

Your eye colour will not change after a corneal transplant. Eye colour is determined by the part of the eye called the iris, which sits under the cornea. The cornea itself is clear, so replacing it won't change the colour of your eye

what to expect after corneal transplant?

What should I expect after my cornea transplant?

10 common question about what to expect after corneal transplant

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