In cases where a person’s corneal tissue is diseased or injured, his or her cornea may be replaced with a healthy donor corneal transplant. Eye surgeons point out that there are two types of corneal transplantation. The first type is called Penetrating Keratoplasty PK, which is a traditional procedure and the transplant is about the size of the entire cornea. The second is (Endothelial Keratoplasty EK) or corneal ductal graft.

In cases of unhealthy cornea, the patient experiences visual problems such as blurred vision or increased brightness of light. Transplantation can solve these visual problems. Therefore, a healthy corneal tissue should be transferred from an eye bank to the hospital for corneal transplant surgery. Experts claim that corneal diseases are one of the most important causes of blindness in the world, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and cataracts.

Penetrating keratoplasty

During PK (penetrating keratoplasty), the surgeon uses a cutting tool to complete a thick circular incision on the patient’s cornea, but today there is a safer and faster method of femtosecond laser cutting. The Femtosecond laser procedure also improves faster.

Procedure (Endothelial Keratoplasty EK)

In the procedure (Endothelial Keratoplasty EK), the ophthalmologist makes a small incision and inserts a narrow disc of the donor endothelium into the back of your cornea, and the incision gradually improves.

You may ask who needs a corneal transplant?

If your cornea is damaged or has lost its transparency due to damage, then you probably have visual problems such as swelling, painful wounds, corneal deformity, and visual impairment. After the tests, your ophthalmologist may find that your problem with contact lenses or glasses will not be resolved, so he recommends doing a corneal transplant.

• We’ve listed some conditions that can damage your cornea:
• Infections can damage your cornea, such as fungal keratitis
• If your eyelids grow towards your cornea, they can scratch it
• Some congenital conditions
• Keratoconus (an eye disease)
• Unusual cornea shape
• Some complications of LASIK surgery, but rarely occur
• Corneal burning
• If your cornea becomes too swollen
• If the patient has a history of transplant rejection
• Corneal failure

Risks and possible complications

Corneal transplant surgery can be as dangerous as any other surgery. Graft rejection is a common problem in this surgery and occurs when your immune system recognizes the connective tissue as an external tissue and tries to get rid of it. Here are some symptoms of a corneal transplant rejection:

• Feeling pain in the eyes
• High sensitivity to light
• eye redness
• You may get blurred vision

Some of the other side effects that may occur include:

• eye infection
• Eye bleeding
• Your retina may detach
• Increased eye pressure may occur (glaucoma)

Experts claim that if you have a history of corneal swelling due to cataract surgery before surgery,
The likelihood of rejection is increased.

If you have any of these symptoms, you should contact your ophthalmologist. He prescribes some medications to help you stop the transplant process.