Restoring Sight with Cornea Transplants

Wednesday, September 01, 2004

ROCHESTER, Minn. —Each year, surgeons restore sight for about 32,000 Americans —many of them older adults —by transplanting corneas from deceased donors. A healthy cornea, the transparent outer surface of your eye, is an essential component of sharp, clear vision.

The September issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides an overview of cornea transplants and recovery. For older adults, common causes of cornea problems are diseases or injuries that result in the depletion or destruction of the cornea's inner layer (endothelium). The cells of this layer act as pumps that regulate the amount of water within the cornea's middle layer (stroma). If the cells of the endothelium are sufficiently depleted, they're unable to pump excess water from the stroma, causing it to swell and become cloudy. The swelling can cause the cornea to lose its transparency, resulting in blurred vision.

The most common type of cornea transplants requires only local anesthesia. After the transplant, most people still require corrective lenses to optimize their vision.

Mayo Clinic Jacksonville - Erik Kaldor 904-953-2299

Mayo Clinic Scottsdale - Anne Tewksbury 480-301-436

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