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Corneal transplant - discharge

Alternate Names

Keratoplasty - discharge; Penetrating keratoplasty - discharge

When You Were in the Hospital

You had a corneal transplant to replace most of your cornea (the clear surface on the front of your eye) with tissue from a donor. During your surgery, your surgeon removed a small round piece of your cornea. Then the donated cornea was sewn onto the opening of your eye.

Your doctor probably injected medicine into the area around your eye so you did not feel any pain during surgery. You may have taken a sedative to help you relax.

What to Expect at Home

The first stage of healing will take about three weeks. After this, you will likely need contact lenses or glasses. These may need to be changed or adjusted several times in the first year after your transplant.

Self-care

Do not touch or rub your eye. Your doctor will give you an eye patch to wear for about 1 to 4 days. This protects the new cornea from injury. You doctor may also give you an eye shield for sleeping, showering, or bathing. After you take off the eye patch, you will probably need to wear dark sunglasses during the day.

You should not drive, operate machinery, drink alcohol, or make any major decisions for at least 24 hours after surgery. The sedative will take this long to fully wear off. Before it does, it may make you very sleepy and unable to think clearly.

Limit activities that could make you fall or increase pressure on your eye, such as climbing a ladder or dancing. Avoid heavy lifting. Stay away from dust and blowing sand.

Carefully follow your doctor's instructions for using eye drops after surgery. The drops help prevent infection. They also help prevent your body from rejecting your new cornea.

Follow up with your doctor as directed. You may need to have stitches removed, and your doctor will want to check your healing and eyesight.

When to Call the Doctor

Call your doctor or nurse if you have:

  • Decreased vision
  • Flashes of light or floaters in your eye
  • Light sensitivity (sunlight or bright lights hurt your eye)
  • More redness in your eye
  • Eye pain

References

Bahar I, Kaiserman I, Srinivasan S, Ya-Ping J, Slomovic AR, Rootman DS. Comparison of Three Different Techniques of Corneal Transplantation for Keratoconus. American Journal of Ophthalmology. December 2008;146(6).

Blackmon S, Semchyshyn T, Kim T. Penetrating and Lamellar Keratoplasty. In: Tasman W, Jaeger EA, eds. Duane’s Ophthalmology. 15th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2009:chap 26.

Martin L, Wang MX, Karp CL, Selkin RP, Azar DT. Corneal surgery. In: Yanoff M, Duker JS, Augsburger JJ, et al. Ophthalmology. 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2008:chap 4.27.

Review Date: 3/15/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; and Franklin W. Lusby, MD, Ophthalmologist, Lusby Vision Institute, La Jolla, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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