CORNEA SERVICES
Save your eyesight by acting at the right time
According to the World Health Organization, corneal blindness is the fourth most common cause of blindness in India. The treatment of corneal astigmatism is possible through corneal transplantation. In this procedure, a healthy cornea is transplanted in place of a diseased cornea entirely by (penetrating keratoplasty) or partially (lamellar keratoplasty). Since artificial corneas are not available, corneas must be harvested only by eye donation.
The human cornea can only be performed by eye contribution. Although we have trained highly qualified surgeons and hospital facilities for transplantation, we do not have enough eye tissue to treat the burden of corneal blindness in our country.
About 11 lakh blind population of our country are waiting for corneal transplantation, and about 25,000 new cases are reported each year. An eye donation can enable two blind corneal visionaries to see.
We joined the Crusade against Corneal Blindness by launching the Center for Sight Eye Bank to promote eye donation by changing people's attitudes. With the support of our patrons and patients, we want to bring light into the lives of people suffering from corneal blindness.
The Center for Sight has an expert panel for corneal specialists to treat corneal and ocular surface disorders. Cornea Specialist in Pune
Know your cornea
The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye. It is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye. It is responsible for more than 2/3 of the focusing power of the eye. Unlike most tissues in the body, the cornea does not contain blood vessels to nourish or protect it against infection. Instead, the cornea receives its food from the tears and aqueous humor that fills the chamber behind it. To be able to see well, all layers of the cornea must be free from cloudy or opaque spots. When the cornea becomes cloudy due to illness, injury, infection or malnutrition, vision is significantly lost or reduced.
Are you a cornea transplant candidate?
Your doctor may suggest a corneal transplant in the following circumstances:
- transfer of infections such as ocular herpes, fungal or bacterial keratitis.
- hereditary corneal disorders or dystrophies.
- Dermination of the cornea or irregular shape due to keratoconus.
- Chemical burns on the cornea.
- Excessive swelling of the cornea.
Procedure for corneal transplantation
- Retail with your corneal surgeon.
- Waiting for the donor cornea.
- The waiting time for a donor's eye depends on the voluntary donation of the eye.
View after transplantation
The vision will improve for one year after the surgery. You need glasses or contact lenses for vision correction. The curve of the transplanted cornea may not exactly match the curve of your cornea. Normally, a prescription for glasses is given once all stitches are removed. Rigid gas perforable contact lenses provide the best vision correction for corneal transplant patients due to corneal irregularity after transplantation.
Cornea graft rejection
Corneal transplants are routinely performed. Of all tissue transplants, corneal transplantation is the most successful. But sometimes exceptions happen. When the transplanted cornea is rejected by the body, the following symptoms occur:
- Redness
- Schmerz
- Diminished view
- Extreme photosensitivity
Your body can reject the transplanted cornea at one month postoperatively and five years after corneal transplantation. The rejection can be reversed successfully after an immediate diagnosis and drug therapy, and vision restored.
Most corneal grafts in India and even around the world are full-thickness corneal grafts. The diseased cornea is removed with all its layers and replaced with a similar or slightly larger donor cornea, which also has 'full' thickness, in the procedure of Cornea Transplant in India. In certain diseases, such as keratoconus or conical cornea, or in superficial corneal scars, the innermost lining of the cornea, the endothelium, is intact and healthy and therefore need not be altered. This procedure is referred to as Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty. Compared to a full thickness graft, it offers faster rehabilitation and a reduced rejection rate with improved graft survival.
Endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK / DMEK) has brought about a revolutionary change in the technique of corneal transplantation.
It is a sophisticated technique that replaces only the endothelial layer of the cornea and allows the surgeon to determine the specific cause of the patient's vision loss.
This technique does not suture and, therefore, recovery is faster and more convenient, making it the method of choice in cases of fox dystrophy and corneal decompensation.