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If you have Keratoconus then you have probably heard of a cornea transplant as a treatment option. Your eye practitioner may have even discussed it with you during your diagnosis. You may be newly diagnosed with Keratoconus and concerned that you will need one in the future, or in the process of the heart felt decision of going ahead with one. A cornea graft or penetrating keratoplasty as it it sometimes called is surgery where the diseased tissue of the cornea is surgically removed and replaced with healthy donor tissue. It is a very successful and common transplant that does not require the same type of drugs to stop rejection as internal organ transplants.Normally the only drugs used to minimize rejections are steroid drops.

Depending on what you read, between 10 and 20% of people affected with Keratoconus require transplants. It takes approximately a year for a transplant to heal and in most cases contacts are still required to correct vision. Transplants can last a life time or may last between 10 and 15 years. There is often misinformation regarding Keratoconus and transplants. Transplants are not a certainty if you have Keratoconus. Transplants are also not a cure for Keratoconus and bring their own complications such as a long recuperation period, cornea weakness and risk of rejection.. The main aim of a transplant is to restore vision when contact lenses or less evasive surgical techniques have failed. Many people with Keratoconus faced with a transplant have no other surgical or contact lens options left and are seriously visually impaired in the eye requiring transplant. It is often recommended to get more than one doctors opinion before deciding on a transplant.

Links and common questions

1. What is a cornea transplant and when should I have one.
http://www.opt.indiana.edu/lowther/html/keratoconus_transplant.htm
http://www.rcophth.ac.uk/publications/corneal_graft.html

2. Coneral Transplant prodecure ( pictures and explanations)
http://www.nyclasik.com/html/cornea.html#3
http://www.eyelaser-chicagoland.com/crntrans.htm
http://www.eyesearch.com/corneal.surgery.htm ( Warning Graphic pictures of surgey)

3. What are risks to a transplant and rejection?
http://www.nyclasik.com/html/cornea.html#5
http://www.ofcn.org/cyber.serv/hwp/hwc/eye/information/surgery/corneal.html
http://www.cornea-eyeplastics.com.au/Cornea%20Anterior%20Segment/corneal_transplant_rejection.htm

4. Tranplant Statistics ( Various countries)
http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/statistics/general_statistics/cornea/transplant/transplant.htm

5. What are the signs of rejection
http://www.sightfirstclinics.com/cornealtransplant.html#complications