EYE TRANSPLANTATION
( Keratoplasty, Corneal Transplant, Corneal grafting )

What is eye transplantation

Eye transplantation is a misnomer. Actually till date we are just doing corneal transplantation that is changing of diseased cornea from the eye of a donor. It is also known as Keratoplasty or corneal grafting.

What is Eye Bank

Eye bank performs following function:

	Maintains the records of patients needing corneal graft.
	Make advertisements and supplies the donor card to prospective donors.
	Have facilities to collect eyeball from donor, evaluate it, store and distribute it to be used for keratoplasty or other research and training purposes.

Collection of eye balls

	Should be done preferably in 4-6 hours, earlier the better.
	Ice should be placed on the dead person's eye.
	It is done by trained person or eye surgeon. After removing the eye the socket is filled by cotton and may be by  artificial eye to avoid any disfigurement of body.
	The eye ball is carried away in eye box to eye bank for storage.

Following eyes are not suitable for grafting

	Cause of death: Patients suffering from septicaemia, Rabies, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, AIDS.
	Diseased eyes: Retinoblastoma, Iritis, Glaucoma, Corneal diseases and operated eyes. However these eyes may be used for research and training purposes.

Storage of eyes

Storage can be done for 2 - 7 days. After 7 days the cornea can still be preserved to be used for therapeutic purposes.

Indications

	Optical: To improve visual acuity -replace opaque and diseased cornea.
	Therapeutic:  To save eyeball in cases like perforated corneal wounds. These cases may need optical graft later on. Treatment of pterygium etc.

Complications

Even with all advances all cases not succeed. More common cause is graft failure, which depends mainly on donor and recipient cornea.