Dr. Ibarz, a member of the Oftalvist Clinic team, is responsible for the Keratoplasty Unit at Moncloa Hospital. She is an expert in Anterior Pole and Refractive Surgery, and has given more than twenty communications in national congresses and almost thirty in international congresses. In the following article she explains what corneal transplantation consists of.
A corneal transplant or keratoplasty is a surgery performed by the ophthalmologist that consists of replacing the damaged corneal tissue with healthy corneal tissue from a donor, due to a visual impairment or irreversible corneal alteration that cannot be corrected in any other way. Corneal transplant surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures performed worldwide.
Types of Corneal Transplant Surgery
There are different types of corneal transplant surgery:
- Penetrating keratoplasty: consists of replacing the full thickness of the cornea with a donor cornea.
- Lamellar keratoplasty: consists of replacing only the damaged part of the corneal tissue. This type of procedure is less invasive than the previous one and usually presents fewer complications, as well as a better and faster postoperative period.
- Deep Anterior (DALK): this technique is performed when there are diseases in which the corneal involvement refers to the anterior aspect of the cornea. It consists of dissecting all the anterior layers of the cornea, leaving only Descemet’s membrane and endothelium, and placing a donor corneal graft from which Descemet’s membrane and endothelium have been removed. It is the most common in patients with keratoconus pathology, but also when there are burns, caustications, congenital diseases or post-infectious alterations.
- Posterior or endothelial (DSAEK, DMEK): It is performed when the alteration, which can be congenital or acquired, only affects the posterior side of the cornea, so only the posterior layer is replaced. This technique is common in ocular diseases such as endothelial dystrophies, among which Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy stands out, and also in Bullous Keratopathy, as well as in other endothelial alterations.
When to undergo Keratoplasty
- When the patient suffers from keratoconus in very advanced stages, a vision problem caused by corneal thinning, as well as secondary ectasia.
- When the patient suffers from corneal opacity or corneal deformation caused by:
– A congenital corneal disease.
– Endothelial dystrophies
– After surgery
– When the patient suffers an infectious or post-traumatic disease.