Translational Medicine
Open Access

Corneal Transplantation

Corneal transplantation, also known as corneal grafting, is a surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced by donated corneal tissue. When the entire cornea is replaced it is known as penetrating keratoplasty and when only part of the cornea is replaced it is known as lamellar keratoplasty, The risks are similar to other intraocular procedures, but additionally include graft rejection (lifelong), detachment or displacement of lamellar transplants and primary graft failure. Use of immunosupressants including cyclosporine A, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, sirolimus, and leflunomidprevent to prevent graft rejection is increasing but there is insufficient evidence to ascertain which immunosuppressant is better.  In a Cochrane review which included low to moderate quality evidence, adverse effects were found to be common with systemic mycophenolate mofetil, but less common with topical treatments cyclosporine A and tacrolimus.There is also a risk of infection. Since the cornea has no blood vessels (it takes its nutrients from the aqueous humor) it heals much more slowly than 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.