Cornea transplant

A corneal transplant (or keratoplasty) is an operation used to remove a damaged cornea and replace it with healthy corneal tissue from the eye of a suitable donor. A corneal transplant can improve sight and relieve pain in a damaged or diseased eye.

The procedure is normally recommended when the cornea is too misshapen to be treated with other methods, or when damage to the cornea has been caused by disease, infection or injury.  

What is the cornea and what does it do?

The cornea is the clear outer layer at the front of the eyeball and acts as a window to the eye. It's made up of three delicate layers: the epithelium, stroma and endothelium. The coloured iris and the pupil (the black dot in the centre of the iris) can be seen through the cornea. 

The cornea helps to focus and transmit light as it's passed to the lens and onto the retina at the back of the eye. This ‘picture’ is in turn transmitted to the brain. 

When the cornea is damaged it can lose its transparency or its shape can alter. This can prevent light from passing to the retina and causes the picture transmitted to the brain to be distorted or cloudy. When you can no longer see through it, a corneal transplant may be needed.