Corneal transplant surgery involves the removal of a patient’s diseased or damaged cornea and replacing it with a healthy donor cornea.  The cornea is the clear element at the front of the human eye, which begins to refract (focus) incoming light and pass it through to the inner eye.  When the cornea becomes misshapen, cloudy, scarred or otherwise damaged, there are a variety of treatments available.  An ophthalmologist resorts to a corneal transplant when other methods of treatment have been exhausted.  The corneal transplant is the most commonly performed, and most successful, of all transplant surgeries.

At Crane Eye Care we are using a new corneal transplant procedure called DSEK. DSEK (Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty) is a new option for patients with corneal edema who require corneal transplantation.  This procedure has several advantages over traditional corneal transplant surgery which include:

• Faster visual recovery.
• Less astignatism created since there are no sutures.
• Eye is much stronger and more resistant to injury since only the diseased tissue rather than the entire cornea being replaced. 
• Chance of rejection is significantly reduced.
• Surgery time is faster.
• Procedure can be combined with cataract surgery 

DSEK Procedure

1. The patient’s endothelial layer is stripped from the rest of the cornea.
2. The donor endothelium attached to a thin layer of donor cornea is folded like a taco and inserted through a 5mm incision.
3. An air bubble is injected to push the donor cornea up against the posterior surface of the patient’s cornea.
4. The pumping action of the new donor endothelium helps to create suction which bonds the donor tissue to the patient’s own cornea

   
Complications of the DSEK Procedure

The posterior graft can dislocate and may need to be repositioned or replaced.  In some instances a regular corneal transplant may need to performed.

Recovery

The patient is advised to rest the day of the surgery.  There will be a post-operative appointment with the doctor the next day.  After this, the patient may resume gentle tasks and activities, but must wear glasses or a shield to protect the eye, and administer eye drops as instructed by the physician.  After a week, more strenuous activities (like exercise) may be carefully resumed.  The patient must continue to remain vigilant for signs of complication, and contact the eye doctor immediately upon any abnormal occurrence.

If you have questions or would like to meet with the doctor, we encourage you to contact us today to schedule a consultation.