We offer several different corneal transplant surgeries dependent on your patient’s individual diagnosis and needs.
Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK)
This newer type of corneal transplantation is only performed at limited locations. This surgery involves removing the cells in the back of the cornea and replacing them with the identical tissue from the donor (1/100th of a millimeter thick), which is attached with an air bubble. The front of the cornea is left unchanged except for a small incision.
Compared to traditional corneal transplant methods, this surgery may offer the following benefits to your patient:
- Fewer stitches (typically one compared to 16)
- Faster recover time
- Average complete visual rehabilitation within four weeks
- Higher outcome for 20/20 correction
This is generally the preferred transplant for Fuchs dystrophy.
Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK)
This surgery is similar to DMEK but utilizes a thicker piece of tissue. DSEK is generally offered to patients with bullous keratopathy and Fuchs dystrophy or to patients who are not good candidates for DMEK.
Anterior lamellar keratoplasty
In this partial replacement procedure, only the front part of the cornea is removed and replaced with the front of another cornea. It is attached with a very fine thread which may be left in place for months or even years.
This type of surgery decreases the risk of rejection, damage from trauma, and risk of the surgery. This surgery is often used for keratoconus, and corneal scars.
Penetrating keratoplasty
This surgery removes the full thickness of the central cornea and can be used when there is damage to all layers of the cornea. It also uses a very fine thread that may be left in place for months or even years.
This procedure is often used to treat infections and other conditions that have caused severe corneal damage.
