Cornea Transplantation

What is Cornea Transplantation?

Cornea transplantation, also known as keratoplasty, corneal graft, or eye transplantation, involves the removal of corneal tissue that is deformed or that has lost its transparency, and replacing it with a healthy corneal tissue taken from a deceased donor. Corneal transplant is the most commonly performed and successful transplant surgery with over 40,000 times performed every year.

Why is Cornea Transplantation performed?

Corneal transplantation is performed to treat the following conditions:

  • An increase in corneal opacity due to cornea cells being damaged.
  • Keratoconus, which is the condition where the cornea takes a conical shape, impeding vision.
  • Hereditary corneal diseases.
  • Scar tissue or neovascularization that occur as a result of corneal infections, for example herpes simplex virus, HSV.
  • Stain formation on the cornea after injury.

Stain formation on the cornea after injury.

What are the conditions for Cornea Transplantation?

To fully benefit from a cornea transplant, the structure of the patient’s eye must be healthy aside from the cornea. If there’s any damage to the patient’s retina there will not be any benefits from the cornea transplant. Specifically, whether a patient will benefit from a cornea transplant will be determined by an ophthalmologist after an ophthalmologic ultrasonography is performed.

Turkey has 2 main “eye banks” with one being in Istanbul and the other being in Ankara. The eye banks are responsible for storing donated corneas, determining whether the tissue is suitable for transplantation and delivering it to the centers where cornea transplantation will be performed. Corneas are taken from recently deceased organ donors who have healthy cornea tissues. It is made sure that the corneas are healthy and do not transmit any diseases. The cornea is a nonvascular tissue, so blood type compatibility is not required.

What are the things to be considered before Cornea Transplantation?

Before the surgery, the patient undergoes a thorough eye examination to ensure that the procedure will be both safe and effective. The patient is asked to get their eye measured before arriving in Turkey to find a matching donor cornea of a similar size. Additionally the patient might need to stop taking certain medication, the medical history of the patient is reviewed by the attending ophthalmologist. The patient should arrive in Turkey a day before the surgery.

How is Cornea Transplantation performed?

Before the surgery begins general or, usually, local anesthesia is administered. Local anesthesia is applied to the eyes and the surrounding areas. Then the eyelids are cleaned thoroughly to minimize the risk of an infection. A small instrument is attached between the eyelids to keep them open during the surgery. The surgeon determines the corneal diameter to be used for corneal transplantation and carefully removes the damaged parts of the cornea through an incision made with a special instrument.If cataract surgery is planned to be done concurrently, the cataract is removed at this point and an intraocular lens is placed in place of the eye’s natural lens. Afterwards, the transparent donor cornea is placed on the recipient bed and sutured using microsurgical methods. At the end of the operation, antibiotic ointment is applied to the eye and the eye is closed with a protective cover.

The surgery takes 30 min to an hour and is done one eye at a time.

What are the things to be considered after Cornea Transplantation?

After the surgery the patient is recommended to:

  • Use their prescription medicine as instructed by their ophthalmologist.
  • Not put any physical pressure on their eyes and not to rub them.
  • Wash their hair with their head tilted, similar to how it's done at a hairdresser, so as to not get any water or soap into the eyes.
  • Wear sunglasses while outdoors.
  • Avoid strenuous exercises such as swimming, lifting or cycling.

The attending ophthalmologist will decide when the stitches will be removed after the surgery. Usually the stitches are removed a few months after the surgery.

What are the risks of Cornea Transplantation?

Cornea transplantation has an average rejection rate of 5%, this low rate is caused by the cornea usually not having blood vessels and the lack of blood circulation making an immune system response less likely. Risks of corneal transplantation include but are not limited to:

  • Infection
  • Bleeding
  • Excess eye pressure, glaucoma
  • Separation of the inner layers of the eye, retinal detachment
  • Rejection of the newly transplanted cornea

A corneal transplant can be repeated if necessary without significant drawbacks. Postoperative corneal irregularity may slow the recovery of vision. However, vision will gradually improve within a year after the surgery.

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After I was so worried about travelling abroad for my bypass surgery I haven’t regretted it once, I wish I had done it sooner, the hospital was clean staff were amazing my husband was really happy with all his meals and felt at ease with my care. Thank you so much I will be back again

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Georgia Harley reviewed What an amazing experience

What an amazing experience. Like most, the idea of travelling to another country for a medical procedure was nerve wracking at first however, my amazing care co ordinator Sean was there every step of the way! I arrived on the 31st December and everything from my booking experience, hospital stay, pre op tests, gastric sleeve surgery , transport home and post op assistance has exceeded alp expectations. I am from the UK and all of the care far surpassed anything that I have recieved in the UK. Sean has also been there post me returning to the UK to check in and respond quickly to any post op questions that I have had. Would 100% reccomend

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The staff in the hospital was very professional and the language translators have all been amazing and you needs and questions are met and answered with any problems

Mellissa Heath reviewed Had a bit of a mix up but this was…

Had a bit of a mix up but this was easily fixed and my feedback taken onboard for future patients 😊 The hospital is immaculate with very friendly and caring staff. I was very well looked after before and after surgery. After surgery nurses would check on me every 1.5/2 hours and if I rang the bell they would come instantly. Translators were brilliant and the staff who didn’t speak much English was very good with google translate 😊 The care and the cleanliness at the hospital I went to Medistanbul was out of the world. Puts the UK hospitals to shame honestly! Had so many family & friends telling me don’t go abroad for surgery but it’s the best thing I ever done! My coordinator Rick Miller was so quick at responding, always kept me up to date and was very helpful throughout the whole process. My surgeon was Prof Dr Kagan Katar who was very professional, he came to see me before and after operation Also the transfer driver Orhan was amazing he was so helpful with our bags in the huge airport and sorted us out with wheelchairs Had a brilliant experience

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I had arm lift surgery with Dr Ahmet on 8 October 2024. David Turker was my co ordinator. From the collection at the airport to dropping be off ;I also had dental implant and my partner has a hair transplant) everything went smoothly. They’re organised and efficient. There are several interpreters and staff who work for Booking Surgery who are resident at different times in the ward of the hospitals. On 30/1/24 I returned to finish off my tooth implant and to have a deep plane facelift, a neck lift and upper eyelid blepharoplasty. Again everyone was fantastic. My only critique is the hospitals’ food, which, similar to UK is not great but I knew that prior to going and found out where the nearest shops were. I also ordered in pizza via the helpers and they got me stuff from the shop. They also got me a soft pillow as the pillow on my hospital bed the second time was like a boulder with wee pebbles in it LOL. But this is a minor thing and plenty of cheap pillows for sale nearby. I felt that my treatment in Istanbul was better than any I’d ever received in the UK and I’ve had over 5 operations in Scotland. The nurses in Turkey are so kind and compassionate. Any medication you need for any ancillary issues that arise is readily prescribed to you. The surgeons are lovely too and experienced and professional. I had Dr Emre Koçman for my face etc., ab older guy in his 60s with great experience. I’m not 10 days post op and pleased Ruth progress. I’m 65 and once healed I'm going to look 45. That wasn’t my aim but I’ll take it LOL ! Thank you booking surgery. You’re the best. Maxine

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The best company to go with . Me my friends used several times . They work with passion and they are definitely not commercialized . Good people , good job , good results Dr Tardu is the best surgeon...