Question 1

should vision worsen after corneal transplant surgery?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Yes initially after transplant surgery your vision may be worse. Depending on the type fo transplant it may take anywhere from 3-12 months to recover.

Question 2

how reliable is a corneal transplant in correcting keratoconus? my doctor has told me that my keratoconus has gotten so bad that i need to have a corneal transplant. surgery scares me because it is so invasive, and i worry that my body will reject the don

Accepted Answer

Corneal : Corneal transplantation is very sucsessful at restoring vision in keratoconus.  In keratoconus there usually is not much vascularization (abnormal blood vessels) in the cornea.  This results in a low risk of rejection reaction.

Question 3

is it normal for eye vision to worsen a few weeks after corneal transplant surgery?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Depending on the type of transplant - full thickness or endothelial graft the tissues have to heal and stabilize.  Please be patient with corneal grafting results - it takes a long time.

Question 4

what do docs think? should eye vision worsen a few weeks after corneal transplant surgery?

Accepted Answer

Many reasons: It depends on several things.  What was the reason for the transplant; is the cornea healing correctly, is the cornea rejecting, or is the angle of the new cornea causing astigmatism that needs to be further corrected with glasses or contacts.  It sometimes takes months to completely heal.  You need to discuss this with the eye doctor that did the transplant.

Question 5

are there eye exercises that can be helpful after undergoing an eye corneal transplant surgery?

Accepted Answer

No: No. Corneal transplants can be full thickness and involve all layers of the cornea, or partial thickness and just involve the inner layer. Eye excersizes do not influence the success of corneal transplantation. The cornea is the clear window of the eye and has no muscles in it. Some patients who have had accommodating intraocular lenses use eye excersizes to strengthen their accommodative ability.

Question 6

what are the chances my body will reject a corneal transplant? due to my eye scarring some years ago after an infection, i need to have corneal transplant surgery. while i'm prepared to for the surgery and recovery time, i'd like to know more about the po

Accepted Answer

The : The chance of a rejection reaction increases with increasing blood vessels in the scarred cornea.  These blood vessels are referred to as vascularization.  A normal cornea has no blood vessels in it.  If your cornea has little or no vascularization the risk of rejection is much lower than in a cornea with alot of vascularization.  The blood vessels will allow your body's immune cells to flow to the new cornea which the immune cells may recognize as foreign and, then trigger a rejection reaction.  The type of infection you had may also effect the possibility of rejection.  The symptoms of rejection are redness, pain, and blurred vision.  Fortunately, if detected early a rejection reaction can often be suppressed with treatment , and the patient does well.  Your ophthalmologist will be glad to discuss your concerns.

Question 7

what are some of the preparations needed for a corneal transplant? i have decided to undergo a corneal transplant to replace my damaged cornea. my donor has been found and my surgery date is coming up soon. what are some of the preparations i should do be

Accepted Answer

You : You should be given preoperative instructions by your surgeon.  You may be given antibiotic eyedrops to start before the surgery.

Question 8

i had cataract surgery and corneal transplant (dsek). the corneal slipped and a "refloat" was done. it had "scratched" from stretching the cornea and vision was blurred. how many corneal transplants can be performed on the same eye with positive results?

Accepted Answer

DSAEK : Dsaek can be repeated with good results.  It is a relatively new procedure so there is not a lot of research on multiple repeats.  Provided that there is not a lot of cornea scarring then the vision should be quite good.  That being said, vision expectations after dsaek should not be 20/20.  The vision is frequently a little less than that (average 20/30-20/50).  I recommend visiting a cornea specialist who did fellowship training in corneal transplantation.  If you have significant scarring then you could benefit from a full-thickness cornea transplant.  You also need a full eye exam to make sure that your retina and optic nerve is healthy.

Best regards, 
jc.

Question 9

i had a eye injury from chemical explosion in 2007.this year, february i underwent a corneal transplant. the dr did not remove the entire damaged cornea, id like to know if i can still do anothr surgery to remove damaged cornea?

Accepted Answer

Eye exam: I would encourage you to actually see an Ophthalmologist who can examine your eye  to determine if you are a candidate for another surgery.

Question 10

i will have to undergo a corneal transplant in a month, and i am a marijuana smoker. how many days before the surgery should i quit? and for how long should i not smoke after the transplant? i willdo due to a scar caused by a pseudomonas aeruginosa?

Accepted Answer

: The studies are mixed. There are some which show that it may cause opacification and inflammation. Best is to be safe and stop about 4 weeks before the transplant and not smoke it till the transplant takes and is healed- 6-8 weeks. best is to quit altogether . Good luck

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Doctor answers about:

Recovery time corneal transplant surgery

A member asked:

Should vision worsen after corneal transplant surgery?

A member asked:

How reliable is a corneal transplant in correcting keratoconus? my doctor has told me that my keratoconus has gotten so bad that i need to have a corneal transplant. surgery scares me because it is so invasive, and i worry that my body will reject the don

A member asked:

Is it normal for eye vision to worsen a few weeks after corneal transplant surgery?

A member asked:

What do docs think? should eye vision worsen a few weeks after corneal transplant surgery?

A member asked:

Are there eye exercises that can be helpful after undergoing an eye corneal transplant surgery?

A member asked:

What are the chances my body will reject a corneal transplant? due to my eye scarring some years ago after an infection, i need to have corneal transplant surgery. while i'm prepared to for the surgery and recovery time, i'd like to know more about the po

A member asked:

What are some of the preparations needed for a corneal transplant? i have decided to undergo a corneal transplant to replace my damaged cornea. my donor has been found and my surgery date is coming up soon. what are some of the preparations i should do be

A member asked:

I had cataract surgery and corneal transplant (dsek). the corneal slipped and a "refloat" was done. it had "scratched" from stretching the cornea and vision was blurred. how many corneal transplants can be performed on the same eye with positive results?

A member asked:

I had a eye injury from chemical explosion in 2007.this year, february i underwent a corneal transplant. the dr did not remove the entire damaged cornea, id like to know if i can still do anothr surgery to remove damaged cornea?

A member asked:

I will have to undergo a corneal transplant in a month, and i am a marijuana smoker. how many days before the surgery should i quit? and for how long should i not smoke after the transplant? i willdo due to a scar caused by a pseudomonas aeruginosa?

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