Risks, Prognosis and History of Cornea Transplant
Posted on:1/4/2006
| As with any surgery, there are some possible risks. While the cornea itself doesn't have any blood vessels, there is still a potential for some blood loss, usually from suturing the metal ring to the sclera. Any blood loss is typically less than a teaspoon, or less than 2 cc.
|
Risks:-
There is also a risk of infection. Since the cornea has no blood vessels (it takes its nutrients from the aqueous humor) it takes longer to heal than would a cut on the skin. While the wound is healing, it is possible that it might become infected by various microorganisms. This risk is minimized by antibiotic prophylaxis (using antibiotic eyedrops, even when no infection exists).
Graft failure can occur at any time after the cornea has been transplanted, even years or decades later. The causes can vary, though it is usually due to new injury or illness. Treatment can be either medical or surgical, depending on the individual case.
Prognosis:-
When the primary purpose of a cornea transplant is to improve visual acuity, the prognosis is dependent upon whether the rest of the eye is healthy. If the rest of the eye is healthy, then it should be possible to recover normal vision.
History:-
The first cornea transplant was first performed in 1905, by Dr. Eduard Zirm, making it one of the first types of transplant surgery successfully performed.
Advances in microscopes enabled surgeons to get a better view of the surgical field, while advances in materials science enabled them to use sutures finer than a human hair.
Instrumental in the success of cornea transplants were the establishment of eye banks. These are organizations located throughout the world to coordinate the distribution of donated corneas to surgeons, as well as providing eyes for research. Some eye banks also distribute other anatomical gifts.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License (see Copyrights for details).