Corneal transplantation

What is cornea transplantation?

Simply put, it is the replacement of diseased cornea of the eye with the healthier one. Cornea is the front most clear dome shaped portion of the eye which focuses ray of light on retina. It is therefore primary requirement for clear vision.

Can the whole eye be transplanted ? Is there any way to transplant the whole eye?

NO. The retina and optic nerve of the eye are fragile and once removed from the eye they do not maintain viability. The ocular surface components such as cornea and sclera are the only tissues which can be transplanted

What are the different types of transplant procedures?

For simplicity of understanding the cornea can be divided into the front (anterior) portion and back (posterior) portion

-Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK) , full thickness of cornea is transplanted

-If front portion is diseased then it can be selectively replaced without disturbing posterior portion. Its called Anterior lamellar keratoplasty (ALK).

DALK , Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty is the variant of the same.

- If the back or posterior portion is selectively replaced it is called
Posterior lamellar keratoplasty
DLEK ( Deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty )
DSEK ( Descemet's Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty )
DSAEK ( Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty)