Corneal
Transplantation
Keratoplasty
What is the cornea?
If we imagine the eye as a photographic camera system, the cornea acts as the focusing lens. This anterior layer of the eye is actually a transparent «window» to the external environment. It is the most refractive surface of the eye, and its structure affects the path (journey) of light rays toward the retina (the posterior photosensitive layer of the eye where visual information is depicted).
What are the anatomical layers of the cornea?
The cornea consists of the following layers:
Epithelium
Bowman’s membrane
Corneal stroma
Descemet’s membrane
Endothelium
What exactly is corneal transplantation (keratoplasty), and when is it performed?
When the eyelids are open, the cornea is exposed to the external environment. This makes it relatively easy or likely to be injured or infected. Injuries, infections, opacities, scars, scratches, conditions like keratoconus, hereditary and genetic diseases, and dystrophies may cause alterations to the cornea and dramatically affect vision.
When the corneal structures have undergone significant alterations due to the aforementioned factors and the cornea or part of it needs to be replaced, then corneal transplantation (keratoplasty procedure) becomes the ideal solution. It is essential to locate a suitable graft (normally from tissue banks) from a compatible donor. This is a surgical procedure of high difficulty. The graft is sutured with extremely thin stitches.
What are the main techniques for corneal transplantation (keratoplasty procedure)?
The main methods of corneal transplantation are the following:
Full – thickness corneal transplantation (or penetrating keratoplasty) | PKP: In this procedure, the entire diseased cornea (full thickness) is replaced.
Partial – thickness transplantation (lamellar keratoplasty): In this technique, only a specific part of the diseased cornea is selectively replaced. Partial – thickness corneal transplantation is divided into two categories:
-
- Anterior lamellar keratoplasty (or Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty) | DALK
- Posterior lamellar keratoplasty (or Endothelial Keratoplasty) | DSEK: Descemet’s Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty | DSAEK: Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty | DMEK: Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty. Posterior lamellar corneal transplantation is applied when the damage is located at the posterior layers of the cornea (endothelium).
Keratoprosthesis: Here, an artificial cornea replaces the diseased cornea (a solution for severe corneal diseases that have caused irreversible damage)
Ophthalmic
Conditions
Learn everything about the most important eye diseases and conditions. Our fully upgraded eye clinic combines cutting-edge technology with modern facilities. Your eyes are our priority.
Refractive
Laser Surgery
Get rid of glasses and contact lenses for good. Laser refractive procedures are the most popular surgical procedures for correcting common refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), offering excellent post-operative results.