A corneal transplant may be required when, despite contact lenses or glasses, abnormalities of the cornea prevent adequate vision.

Keratoconus:
The commonest reason for needing a corneal transplant is keratoconus, a condition in which the cornea at the front of the eye becomes thin and weaker, and therefore bulges out like a thin area in a tyre. Initially, glasses and then contact lenses can compensate for keratoconus but if the condition advances, even contact lenses cannot remain in a stable and comfortable position on the steepened cornea. When this occurs, a corneal transplant may be necessary.
Other indications for a corneal transplant: as the cornea is the clear window to the eye, any condition which leads to a cloudiness of that window (like ground glass in a bathroom window) may necessitate a corneal graft if the vision is bad enough. Such conditions include corneal scarring from trauma or infection (including herpes or cold sore virus infection) and cloudy cornea from corneal diseases such as Fuchs dystrophy.

In any event, a corneal transplant is only performed if there are no other measures available to correct vision in that eye, and only if the vision is bad enough to warrant surgery.

Dr Collie has performed over a thousand corneal transplant operations and introduced transplant techniques into Australia after his extensive training in the US and UK in this area.

If you need a corneal transplant, you will be given all the information you need to make an informed decision and to understand what is involved in the procedure and its life-long follow-up.