A corneal transplant may be recommended if you have severe damage to your cornea that cannot be corrected with other treatment methods. Conditions such as severe scarring, corneal ulcers, keratoconus  or inherited eye diseases such as Fuchs’ dystrophy may require a transplant in order to restore vision.

During a corneal transplant, all or part of your damaged cornea is removed from your eye and replaced with donor corneal tissue from an eye bank. At Azul Vision, we will only recommend this if we feel there is no other alternative. Although it is possible to have a full thickness corneal transplant, we typically perform a partial thickness method because the risk of complications may be lower.

DSAEK Surgery

Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) is a partial thickness corneal transplant which replaces the damaged section of two corneal layers: endothelium and Descemet’s membrane. As compared to a full thickness corneal transplant, this surgical procedure is quicker, requires a smaller incision and has a reduced risk of infection. The recovery time is quicker and no sutures are required. Because only part of the corneal tissue is removed, the structural integrity of the cornea may be better preserved. 

Organ donors can be thanked for the possibility of restored sight for people with serious corneal damage. The donation of this very thin corneal tissue can make the difference between blindness and clear sight.

If you would like to learn more about corneal transplants, please contact us today.

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