Cornea Transplants

Corneal transplantation is an option for people who have scarred corneas due to infection or injury, corneal clouding (Fuchs’ dystrophy), or corneal thinning caused by keratoconus. People who would have been permanently blinded in the past may now have their vision restored with corneal transplants. With about 40,000 performed each year, corneal transplants have become quite common in the United States. With the help of technological advances, the chances of success have increased dramatically.

The cornea is essentially the "window of the eye". The cornea is transparent and curved, and is the first place in the eye where light begins to bend. This bending of light, or refraction, is necessary to allow light to hit the retina. Unfortunately, this refraction also causes distortion and loss of resolution - these are called refractive errors. Certain corneal diseases, such as keratoconus, change the shape of the cornea drastically, making light bend in a way that distorts the image greatly before it lands on the retina. Corneal transplant removes the diseased cornea, and the donor cornea provides vision that gradually improves over time.

Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking Treatments

The FDA is expected to approve a revolutionary, one-hour, non-invasive keratoconus treatment. Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking, a procedure that is already approved in Europe and other worldwide regions, has been used time and time again as a safe, effective treatment for progressive keratoconus and post-surgical corneal ectasia. The US government study began in 2008 and is expected to receive a thumbs up from the FDA in the near future. If you want to learn more about corneal collagen cross-linking, then call Eye Excellence at 713-521-3937 to schedule an evaluation for treatment.