Procedures
Corneal Surgery
Restoring vision and saving eyesight
.Corneal surgery is a surgical procedure to repair or replace the cornea, the clear front part of the eye
.The cornea plays an important role in focusing light so that you can see clearly
.There are many different types of corneal surgery, depending on the condition of the cornea and the desired outcome
:Some of the most common types of corneal surgery include
- These are small, flexible rings that are implanted into the cornea to help reshape it. ICRS are often used to treat keratoconus and fatten the cornea to make the eye more contact lens tolerant.
- Intracorneal ring segment (ICRS) implantation represents a modern, minimally invasive, surgical option for visual improvement in patients with keratoconus and other corneal conditions that cause the cornea to bulge.
Before Surgery:
- Consultation: A thorough consultation with our expert cornea specialist will be conducted. We will discuss your goals, medical history, and perform a detailed eye examination to ensure you are good candidates for Intacs.
- Preparation: Our care team will provide you with detailed instructions before your surgery, we will make sure to answer all your questions regarding the operation . We sometimes take measurements and do other tests to determine the thickness of the rings to use.
During Surgery:
- Numbing eye drops will be administered before operation, so you won’t feel any pain during surgery.
- Procedure: Our nationally recognized ophthalmologists uses state-of-the-art technologies that makes this surgery quick and effective. It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. After inserting the c shaped rings this will stretch the cornea back to its circular contour. In some cases, ICRS might be combined with corneal cross-linking to decrease the progression of keratoconus.
After Surgery:
- Recovery: You will return home same day Take a nap or rest with eyes closed for several hours. You can expect some itching, burning, or watering of the eyes for the first few hours, your surgeon will prescribe you a pain reliever . Most patients recover quickly, returning to their daily activities within 24 hours.
- Results Expectations: Most people have sharper vision the first day after surgery, but you may need a couple of days of relaxation to promote healing. You won't feel the ring segments, because they are beneath the cornea's nerve endings. Some people may not need to wear corrective lenses after this surgery. Others may still need to wear lenses. But their vision will be improved overall.
Corneal cross-linking (CXL)
Corneal cross-linking surgery is a procedure done to treat keratoconus by strengthening the collagen fibres in the cornea. This procedure is designed to re-strengthen the bonds of the collagen fibres in the cornea to stabilize or improve the shape of the cornea. This can improve vision and even allow the person to wear contact lenses, where they may have previously been unable to due to the lenses not fitting properly.
Before Surgery:
- Consultation: A thorough consultation with our expert cornea specialist will be conducted. We will discuss your goals, medical history, and perform a detailed eye examination including corneal thickness measurements, shape and the extent of keratoconus progression. This will enable the doctor to decide if you are a good candidate for cross-linking.
- Preparation: Our care team will provide you with detailed instructions before your surgery, we will make sure to answer all your questions regarding the operation . You might need to stop food sometime before surgery and refrain from wearing contact lenses few days before surgery.
During Surgery:
- Anesthesia: Numbing eye drops will be administered before operation .
- The Procedure: Cross-Linking is done on an outpatient basis so you will go home same day. It involves the application of vitamin B2 drops and UVA light to the cornea; this encourages the collagen to cross-link, or form bonds. And not to worry, the dose of UVA light is very low, and the thickness of your cornea is measured beforehand to make sure it can tolerate the exposure .Surgery usually take from 60-90 minutes.
After Surgery:
- Recovery: Your eye might feel itchy and irritated for three to five days as it heals. The surface of your eye and tear film recover over the course of several weeks. A protective bandage contact lens is inserted for four to five days.
- Post-Operative Care: Our team will provide detailed instructions on wound care, eye drops, and follow-up appointments. Your doctor will discuss with you when can you resume your daily activities after surgery like swimming or exercising , most people can resume their activities normally couple of weeks after surgery. Please do not reinsert the contact lens if it falls out.
- Results Expectations: The goal of treatment is to keep keratoconus from getting worse and It helps by improving the corneal shape, which can result in improvement in quality of vision. For some people, CXL prevents the need for more serious surgery, like a corneal transplant. Many patients have had a lasting effect (no progression) over 5 years after their initial treatment.
The cornea is the clear outer layer at the front of the eyeball. It acts as a window to the eye. If your cornea cannot be healed or repaired, your ophthalmologist may recommend a corneal transplant.
This is when the diseased cornea is replaced with a clear, healthy cornea from a human donor. A cornea transplant removes either the entire thickness or the partial thickness of the diseased cornea and replaces it with healthy donor tissue. In some cases, only the front and middle layers of the cornea are replaced , in others, only the inner layer is removed. A cornea transplant may be needed to Restore vision, Reduce pain or Improve the appearance of a damaged or diseased cornea. A cornea transplant is often referred to as keratoplasty or a corneal graft. Corneal transplantation is recommended for keratoconus patients that have advanced disease and where other options failed to improve the cornea.
Before Surgery:
- Consultation: A thorough consultation with our skillful surgeon will be conducted. We will discuss your goals, medical history, and perform a detailed eye examination to determine the extent of damage and decide which type of corneal transplant is needed.
- Preparation: Before the surgery doctor will need to take corneal measurements to be able to match a donor cornea. Your doctor will discuss which method of cornea transplant surgery is best for you, tell you what to expect during the operation and explain the outcomes.
During Surgery:
- Anesthesia: Local anesthesia or general anesthesia might be needed depending on the type of operation.
- Procedure: Our surgeons use advanced techniques to achieve the desired results. Surgery usually lasts less than an hour , it is an outpatient procedure so you will be going home the same day.
There are different types of transplantation including:
Penetrating keratoplasty (PK) – a full-thickness transplant.
Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) – replacing or reshaping the outer and middle (front) layers of the cornea.
Endothelial keratoplasty (EK) – replacing the deeper (back) layers of the cornea.
After Surgery:
- Recovery: You may feel soreness and mild pain to which the doctor will prescribe a medicine also eyedrops to decrease inflammation and prevent infections will also be needed . You might have to wear a protective shields or glasses for few days after operation to protect the eye.
- Post-operative care: The doctor may ask you to sleep on your back for some time after surgery to avoid damage to the transplant Your doctor will discuss with you when can you resume your daily activities after surgery , swimming and exercising are not to be resumed until specified by the doctor.
- Results: Most people who have a cornea transplant get at least part of their vision restored, but each situation is different. It could take a few weeks and up to a year for your vision to improve fully. Your eyesight might get a little worse before it gets better as your eye takes time to adjust. After the first year, you should see your eye doctor once or twice every year. The donated tissue usually lasts a lifetime.
Corneal surgeries FAQs
A cornea transplant is most often used to restore vision to a person with a damaged cornea. A number of conditions can be treated with a cornea transplant, including:
- A cornea that bulges outward, called keratoconus.
- Fuchs dystrophy, a genetic condition. where cells in the inner layer of the cornea are not working effectively Thinning or tearing of the cornea.
- Thinning or tearing of the cornea.
- Cornea scarring, caused by infection or injury.
- Corneal ulcers not responding to medical treatment.
- Complications caused by previous eye surgery.
Contact lenses or glasses will still be required after cross-linking, and this management approach may improve patients’ quality of life by reducing the frustration often associated with frequent optical changes when Keratoconus is left untreated.
Intracorneal ring segment (ICRS) implantation represents a modern, minimally invasive, surgical option for visual improvement in patients with keratoconus. Some people may not need to wear corrective lenses after this surgery. Others may still need to wear lenses. But their vision will be improved overall.
In people with keratoconus, ICRS can:
- Reduce near-sightedness and astigmatism, which is overall blurry vision caused by an irregularly shaped cornea.
- Delay or avoid the need for a corneal transplant.
- Benefits of ICRS include quick recovery from a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, flexibility with implants that can be removed or replaced.
- No disturbance of the eye structure because no tissue is removed and possible delay in the progression of keratoconus.
