The cornea is an important component of our eyes. This may protect the inside of the eye by covering the pupil. As light flows through it, it serves as a focusing lens. If its functioning fails, a person has hazy eyesight all the time. Therefore, a corneal transplant surgery may become necessary for such people in Passaic, NJ. According to the National Keratoconus Foundation, about 50,000 corneal transplants are performed each year, nearly 95% of which are successful.
What do you mean by corneal transplant?
This is a procedure that can replace your cornea with the corneal tissue from an organ donor. This procedure can help an individual restore their vision and lessen the issues related to a damaged cornea. This is one of the good options for those with a damaged cornea that can not be repaired through various other treatments like laser treatment or medication. However, less invasive treatments are not options due to the various other health considerations.
One can opt for various corneal transplant procedures, depending on the type and degree of damage to your cornea. The two main types of corneal transplant procedures one can opt for are –
. Traditional penetrating keratoplasty (PK) – In this procedure, cornea surgeons replace the entire thickness of the cornea.
. Endothelial keratoplasty (EK) – In this procedure, cornea surgeons need to replace only the inner layer of the cornea.
Reasons for cornea problems –
Various eye diseases and injuries can damage the cornea. Apart from this, some usual eye problems that can lead to a damaged cornea are –
. Keratoconus, if the cornea of your eye is cone-shaped rather than dome-shaped.
. Fuchs’ dystrophy occurs if the cells in the inner layer of the cornea are not working properly.
. Eye infections or injuries may lead to scarring in the cornea.
. Corneal surgery or various other eye surgery that may damage the cornea.
Your cornea needs to be unclouded, smooth, and healthy for good vision. If it is scarred, inflamed, or damaged, light is not focused correctly into the eye. As a result, your vision is fuzzy, or you see glare. If your cornea can’t be healed or repaired, then your ophthalmologist may suggest a corneal transplant. In this procedure, the diseased cornea is replaced with a healthy and clear cornea from a human donor.
How does a corneal transplant work?
A cornea is not a single mass of tissue but is made from several layers on top of one another. There are two main types of corneal transplant procedures one can opt for. These are different based on how much cornea needs to be transplanted. The thin, topmost layer of the cornea is the epithelium, and the even thinner inner layer is the endothelium. The stroma layer has the most tissue matter between these two (i.e., epithelium and endothelium). There is then a frontal membrane known as Bowman’s layer and a rear membrane known as Descemet’s membrane.
So, mentioned above is some information about corneal transplant surgery. However, if you want more information regarding this and are looking for the best cornea surgeons in New Jersey, look no further than New Jersey Eye Center. We have a team of ophthalmologists specializing in eye surgeries, including glaucoma laser, Lasik surgery, corneal transplant surgery, and more.
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