The eye’s outermost tissue, the cornea, functions like a window focusing the entry of light into the eye. The cornea protects the eye from environmental debris and filters some of the sun’s most damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays.
In order to function properly and provide great vision, the cornea must remain healthy and clear. When the cornea is damaged by injury, disease or hereditary conditions, it may become swollen or scarred. These scars may cause the cornea to scatter or distort light, resulting in reduced vision, sometimes to the point of blindness.
One of the most common reasons for an unhealthy cornea is the overuse of contact lenses.
Cornea transplants are the most commonly performed tissue transplant in the world, with some 48,000 procedures performed in the U.S. every year. The surgery restores eyesight for people who have a damaged cornea from injury, infection or inherited corneal disease.
During the transplant procedure, the damaged cornea is surgically removed and replaced with healthy donor tissue. It is considered a vision-saving surgery and performed when treatment with medication has failed.
