Office Hours: Mon. – Thurs. – 5am to 5pm | Fri. – 7am to 3pm | Sat. – Sun. – Closed
Office Hours: Mon. – Thurs. – 5am to 5pm | Fri. – 7am to 3pm | Sat. – Sun. – Closed
Monday To Thursday
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday
7am – 3pm
Saturday To Sunday
Closed
The cornea—the clear outer layer of your eye—is an important part of your vision. It allows the light to enter inside your eye, provides clear vision, and protects against infections.
In order to function, your cornea must be smooth and clear. However, if the cornea is swollen or damaged, you’ll experience some issues with your eyes and vision.
If your cornea is too damage to be healed or repaired, our vision specialists may recommend a corneal transplant. A corneal transplant uses a donor cornea from a person who chose to donate their corneas to those in need after their death. All donor corneas are carefully tested and regulated to ensure the safety and health of recipients.
If the damage on your cornea is on the innermost layer, you may only need a partial transplant. This surgery replaces the damaged cells with new ones and only requires a few stitches—if any—to aid the healing process.
This surgery has a much lower risk of your eye rejecting the transplant.
If all layers of your cornea are damaged, you’ll probably need a full transplant. Recovery is longer and regaining clear vision may take about a year.
While rejection risks are higher with this procedure, Dr. Gelman uses eye drops to help your body accept the new cornea.
For any questions on limitations and when you can resume your daily activities after your corneal transplant, please call our vision care team at Gelman Vision.
Currently, in the United States, there is no waitlist for a corneal transplant.
Healing can vary depending on the severity of the cornea damage and the type of corneal transplant. You will have blurry vision after surgery, and it can take 6 to 12 weeks to regain clear vision.
The surgery is performed with a local or general anesthetic to numb the pain. Depending on which anesthesia you and your eye surgeon choose, you may or may not be awake.
A corneal transplant procedure takes about one hour.
What Is the Success Rate of Corneal Transplant?
