Treating keratoconus with corneal transplant is an option when keratoconus is in an advanced phase.
Traditional corneal transplant is today not that frequent, in favor of the more innovative DALK technique. Traditional corneal transplant consists in substituing the whole central cornea with a new cornea portion (about 8mm) coming from a donor. This portion is going to be sutured to the patient cornea with nylon, The donor cornea comes from an Eye Bank like the one in Mestre.
Vision recovery after surgery is a gradual process and usually takes up no more than 10-12 months. Suture is usually removed after 6-18 months. 10-15% of patients experience rejection that can usually be treated pharmacologically, without having the need to perform another transplant surgery.
During corneal transplant post-op it is important to schedule checkup appointments every 30-60 days for the first 12 months. Keratoconus has the highest success rate in all corneal transplants.
Full-depth corneal transplant can have great results in terms of visual acuity, together with a total visual acuity recovery.
Rejection risk is always present during the whole patient’s lifespan: this is why it is of great importance to immediately check every strange event, even a seemingly harmless red eye.