Has anyone had a Cornea Transplant?

@ricomartin: Thank you for your reply. I have seen my doctor several times since the operation. I was told that the operation had been successful, but that there continues to be inflammation. This has improved but I am still taking eye drops twice a day. The issues with contrast may improve within a year or less, so I'll have to wait and see. But, I have not been told that the issue is related to the adherence of the graft.

@tlyles Hope it settles Toby... cheers

@rwinney
What lens did you get for your cataract procedure and do you need glasses.
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Mine was a cornea replacement

@evvy2911 I got distance lenses and yes, still need glasses for reading. I was happy to say goodbye to my old bottle cap thick lenses though and trade for nice new thin ones!

Are you planning to have cataract surgeries?

@tlyles Hi there, glad to hear your operation was a success. Hopefully you're off drops by now and your vision is more in balance. How has inflammation been?

Hi, @rwinney. Thank you for the note. I am still using the drops and I am having trouble with contrast in low light. However, I have decided to go ahead and have cataract surgery only on the other eye in July. Hopefully, vision in both will improve. I'm a little worried that I might wake up during the surgery, but I'm ready to take care of this. 🌻

I am a liver/kidney recipient, and have had cataract procedure. Transplant specialists performed liver/kidney, Opthamologist performed cataracts.
I have a couple of questions:
Who performs a Cornea Transplant? Are there specific clinic/practices where they are performed? Is there any pre/post 'transplant' protocol or follow-up?

Before cataract surgery be absolutely positive that you do not have Fuchs' Dystrophy. If so, regular cataract surgery can cause damage to your cornea, making your vision worse. A surgeon with knowledge of Fuchs' can use special techniques and types of solutions to protect your vision. If you do have Fuchs', you definitely need to see a cornea specialist. Also an alternative to a cornea transplant is DSO, Desemet Stripping Only. Instead of removing your cornea tissue and inserting a transplant, a skilled surgeon who has done many DSO procedures will remove a small portion of the central cornea lining cells and your own cells can spread to cover the stripped area. Dr. Gorovoy in Fort Myers, FL is one of the top DSO surgeons and has people travel to have him do DSO from all over the world. DSO avoids the risk of rejection, is basically painless, requires no bubble or period of time lying flat. You may or may not be eligible for DSO, depending on the health of your peripheral cornea cells. Recovery from DSO, as your cells grow to cover the area, will vary. I was thrilled to have excellent vision after only ten days, but some people may have a longer period of time for recovery. If DSO does not result in recovery of vision, you will still be able to go through the standard DMEK/transplant. I had never heard of DSO until after having standard cataract sutgery by a doctor who claimed to have done many successful procedure on patients with Fuchs'. My cornea was very swollen and I had a lot of pain and very poor vision after that surgery. I traveled from Texas to Florida for the DSO and the result was very much worth the effort. The Corneal Dystrophy Foundation has an excellent website to check out.