Cornea transplant
As with all types of surgery, there are several risks and possible complications involved with having a cornea transplant.
Some problems are obvious soon after surgery and need emergency treatment. Others may be spotted during follow-up appointments.
Rejection happens when your immune system recognises the donated cornea as not belonging to you and attacks it. It's quite a common problem, with symptoms of rejection occurring in aboutone infive full-thickness corneal transplants, although only about 5% of low-risk grafts actually fail because of this. Serious rejection is rare after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK).
Rejection can occur a few weeks after a cornea transplant, but it's more common after several months. The problem can often be treated effectively with steroid eye drops if treatment begins as soon as you notice symptoms.
You should seek emergency specialist advice if you notice the symptoms listed below after having a cornea transplant:
As well as rejection, there is a risk of further problems after cornea transplant surgery. These can include:
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.