When the cornea becomes cloudy due to disease or injury, light rays are unable to pass through to reach the retina (the light-sensitive portion of the eye). This can lead to poor vision or blindness. The cornea can be damaged by:
- Corneal injuries
- Infections
- Age-related degeneration
Corneal transplant is a surgical procedure that replaces the cloudy/scarred cornea with a clear donor cornea to improve your vision.
The usual corneal transplant surgery uses penetrating keratoplasty (replacement of the entire cornea). However, a new and more advanced procedure called lamellar keratoplasty (partial corneal transplant) replaces only the diseased parts of the cornea, without affecting your healthy corneal tissue.