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  • Closeup side view of a brown eye, highlighting the clear, front window of the eye, the cornea

    What to Expect When You Have a Corneal Transplant

    Reviewed By James M Huffman, MD
    Published Feb. 28, 2020

    Days or weeks before your transplant

    Your ophthalmologist will talk with you about corneal transplant surgery. You will discuss why you need this surgery, how it can help you see better, and what you can expect during and after surgery.

    Once you decide to have a corneal transplant, a date will be chosen for surgery. That date may change if a good donor cornea is not ready for you at that time.

    Tell your ophthalmologist about all the medicines you take. He or she will tell you if you can keep taking them before surgery.

    You may need to stop using blood thinners before surgery. You may need to visit your primary care doctor for a physical exam and perhaps other tests. This is to make sure you are healthy enough to have the transplant surgery.

    You will not be able to drive after the transplant surgery. You should make arrangements for someone to drive you home after surgery.

    The day of your transplant

    A corneal transplant is done as an outpatient procedure.

    Here is what will happen just before and during corneal transplant surgery.

    • Eye drops will be put in your eyes. You may be given other medicine to help you relax.
    • Your eye surgeon will use either local or general anesthesia so you do not feel pain. He or she will then put a device on your eye to keep it open. Even though your eye is open, you will see very little or nothing at all because of the anesthesia.
    • Your eye surgeon will have chosen how to transplant the healthy donor cornea based on your specific need.
      • In some cases, he or she may remove a circular part of your cornea and replace it with a matching portion of the donor cornea, stitching it into place.
      • Sometimes he or she will remove only a very thin layer of cells from the front of the cornea, replacing them with donor tissue and stitching it into place.
      • In other cases, only the damaged inner layer of the cornea is removed and a thin disc of healthy donor tissue is placed on the back surface of the cornea. An air bubble is then put in the eye to push this new cell layer into place so the cornea can heal properly.
    • Sometimes your ophthalmologist may repair other eye problems during the same surgery, such as cataracts.
    • After surgery, your ophthalmologist usually tapes a shield over your eye to keep it safely covered. You will be monitored after surgery to make sure you recover from the anesthesia and can go home safely.
    • Your ophthalmologist will explain what to do to care for yourself at home after surgery.

    After your transplant

    The day after your corneal transplant surgery, you will need to go back to your ophthalmologist’s office to have your eyes checked.

    The stitches from surgery may or may not need to be removed. This depends on how quickly you heal, the health of your eye, and the type of stitches used.

    As you recover from surgery, these are things you need to do to care for your eye:

    • Use the eye drops exactly as the ophthalmologist prescribed.
    • Do not press on or rub your eye.
    • If needed, take over-the-counter pain medicine. Ask your doctor which ones you can take.
    • Wear eyeglasses or an eye shield to protect your eyes.
    • Talk with your ophthalmologist about when you can get back to doing your normal daily routine.
    • Depending on your transplant, you may have to lie on your back for a while after surgery. This helps the new donor tissue stay in place.

    Call your ophthalmologist if you have concerns or questions about how to care for yourself at home.

    Depending on the type of transplant you had and how your eye heals, it can take a year or more to fully recover from this surgery.

    Possible problems with corneal transplant

    Organ rejection is when the body’s immune system sees transplanted tissue as something that shouldn’t be there and tries to get rid of it. Rejection is a problem for up to 3 out of 10 people who have a full thickness transplant (PK). The risk is lower with partial thickness surgeries.

    Warning signs of your body trying to reject your cornea transplant include:

    • eye pain
    • being extra sensitive to light
    • redness of the eye
    • cloudy or hazy vision

    Tell your ophthalmologist right away if you have any of these signs. He or she might be able to stop the rejection with medicine.

    Sometimes corneal transplant can cause other eye problems such as:

    Even when corneal transplants work as they should, other eye problems could limit the quality of your vision. For instance, the new cornea might not be curved regularly (called astigmatism). Or you could have an eye disease such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, or diabetic retinopathy.

    Some people may need more than one corneal transplant. The first transplant could be rejected, or other problems might occur. However, a repeat transplant has a higher rate of rejection than the first one.

    An opportunity for clear vision

    If you have a damaged cornea, you and your ophthalmologist will discuss your options for improving your vision. For people with a deeply scarred or swollen cornea, transplant surgery can restore clear vision.