Keratoprosthesis

An artificial cornea is known as a keratoprosthesis and is placed during a corneal transplant. Corneal transplants offer vision restoration to people who have lost their vision due to injury or disease or to those who have congenital forms of blindness. Traditionally, real corneas were donated to recipients, but in some cases, traditional corneal transplants are not successful. When natural cornea transplants are not an option, eye surgeons may use artificial corneas to restore lost vision. In the United States alone, approximately 40,000 corneas are transplanted successfully each year. Most patients who receive a corneal transplant need one due to:

Corneal scarring from keratoconus
Corneal decomposition from keratoconus
Corneal damage due to birth defects, infections, or burns

Keratoprosthesis may be indicated for you if have had a failed corneal transplant using a donor cornea or if you have non-autoimmune diseases or ocular problems.

Keratoprosthesis Candidacy

While each patient’s situation is different, there are some general factors common to most artificial cornea recipients:

Vision is at or worse than 20/400
Retina is in place
No extreme optic nerve cupping exists
Blink and tear mechanisms are in order

What to Expect with Keratoprosthesis

People who have artificial corneas placed are able to return home the very same day. Most procedures are performed using local anesthesia; however, general anesthesia may be indicated in young children and infants. The procedure, including pre- and post-op time, takes about three hours.

An eyelid speculum is used to keep your eye open during the procedure; lubrication may be necessary to keep your eye from drying out. An incision is made at the junction of the cornea and sclera; an intralamellar pocket is created within the cornea, and the artificial cornea is placed into that pocket. The flap and incision are then closed. The success rate for this procedure is very high.

Patients will return the following day for re-evaluation; as with any procedure, you must follow all post-operative instructions to the letter to help ensure a speedy and successful recovery. You will also be asked to follow-up a week later and then again in every three months in the first year following surgery.

If you feel you may be a candidate for an artificial cornea, or if you would like to learn more about this amazing procedure, please contact an experienced eye doctor near you.