Prognosis

Once the eye patch is removed for the first time, you will be able to see light, colours and general outlines. However, details will still remain blurry and out of focus. This is unavoidable and a normal process. The donor cornea has to flatten within the next week and adapt to its new “recipient bed”. If the cornea remains clear, the visual acuity will gradually improve as the cornea heals. Several postoperative ophthalmological control examinations are necessary in this phase to follow the healing process and to recognize any possible complications in time. In many cases it is necessary to postoperatively use eye drops or possibly also ointments for a few months. The success of the surgical treatment depends considerably on how reliably and regularly these medications are taken as prescribed by your ophthalmologist!

You may need completely different eyeglasses after surgery for an optimal visual acuity than before, and the values will usually change as well.

The fine nylon-sutures that were made to attach the transplant will mostly stay for 1 to 2 years on the cornea. However, they should definitely be removed. Your ophthalmologist will decide upon the right point in time for this.

In case a higher, irregular astigmatism develops after the removal of the sutures, there are small corrective treatments available nowadays to adjust the astigmatism and to improve the patient’s vision.

The new cornea will solidly heal within the following months and years with a fine scar. This scar will however never obtain the rigidity of a non-operated cornea. Therefore, we recommend that you should always try to protect your operated eye from unnecessary injury risks, for example by wearing protective glasses during sports.

At first a tight schedule of control examinations at your ophthamologist will help recognize and treat possible complications in time. Due to a necessary long-term therapy with cortisone eye drops, a temporary increase of the eye pressure may occur, which then possibly needs to be treated.

Basically, it is possible after every tissue or organ transplantation that specific rejection reactions can occur, both in the early stages but also after several years. This is a natural defence reaction of our body towards foreign tissue. If left untreated, a rejection reaction of the cornea would lead to a complete corneal clouding.

The general risk of a rejection is highest during the first two years. If it is diagnosed in time, rejection reactions can be stopped with cortisone eye drops and the transplant can remain clear and transparent. Since a rejection at first only causes minimal symptoms it is vital that you seek your ophthalmologist or go directly to the clinic once you notice an increased redness, light sensitivity, pain, contact sensitivity or blurry sight, either of which lasting longer than two hours. We recommend never waiting and seeing if it does not heal off by itself!