¿Que es el Trasplante de Cornea?

La córnea es el tejido más anterior del ojo. Es transparente y cubre el iris y la pupila. Su función en conjunto con el cristalino del ojo es dar enfoque al ojo en las diferentes distancias. Si la córnea se vuelve opaca, se hincha, o aparecen cicatrices comprometerá la visión. En un principio, medicamentos pueden solucionar o limitar el daño a la córnea de algunas enfermedades. Si los medicamentos no logran controlar la inflamación o enfermedad, puede ser necesario un trasplante de córnea. Este procedimiento quirúrgico remueve la cornea central opaca y la reemplaza con otra sana donada.

FEMTO LDV Z8

El láser de femto segundo es la herramienta más nueva para brindar más precisión y seguridad en la eliminación de sus anteojos o lentes de contacto.

Anteriormente, realizamos un corte por medio de un dispositivo mecánico llamado microqueratomo con una cuchilla de acero. Hoy en día, con esta revolucionaria tecnología podemos programar el láser para realizar un corte de un tamaño y grosor predeterminado con precisión. No solo aumenta la seguridad y precisión de nuestros resultados sino también disminuyemos aún más el riesgo de infección al reducir el instrumental quirúrgico utilizado durante el procedimiento.

Características patentadas como el uso energía de bajo pulso de frecuencia y densidad alta arrojan como resultado:

Menor cantidad de burbujas de aire
Preservación de tejido
Menor estrés mecánico
Menor efectos secundarios
Mayor recuperación en menor tiempo

¿What is a corneal transplant?

The cornea is the tissue on the very front of the eye. It is clear and covers the iris and pupil. It works with the lens to provide focusing power to the eye. If the cornea becomes opaque, swollen, or scarred, vision is compromised. Medication to control the damage to the cornea is usually the first line of treatment, but once it is clear that medication will not halt or alter the damage, a corneal transplant is considered. This surgical procedure involves the removal of the damaged tissue and replacement with a healthy, donated human cornea. Because this procedure is a transplant of foreign tissue into the eye, rejection of the tissue by the immune system of the recipient is the greatest risk. However, drugs can be used to hold back the rejection reaction both before it occurs and even after the fact. The rejection rate for corneal transplants is between 5–10% at 10 years after surgery.

What are the benefits of corneal transplant surgery?
 
Corneal transplant surgery allows a patient to recover vision after suffering corneal opacity due to infection, inflammation or as a result of cataract surgery. Symptoms associated with corneal disease usually disappear after corneal transplant surgery.
 
What happens after my initial visit to the Clinic?
 
Once the ophthlamologist determines that you need a corneal transplant, you will be prescribed medical treatment to prepare you for surgery and help control the symptoms associated with corneal disease. A preoperative workup including blood exams and an internal medicine evaluation will be done in order to prepare you for surgery. You will be placed on a corneal transplant waiting list. The waiting period tends to be a couple of weeks.
 
How is a corneal transplant performed?
 
Surgery consists in replacement of the central corneal tissue with a trephine of varying diameters depending on the size of the eye, cornea and type of corneal disease. The donated corneal tissue is sutured in place, which will be removed once the cornea has healed and your doctor deems it necessary.
 
How long does surgery last?
 
The surgery lasts 30 to 40 minutes. Recovery time at the Clinic is around 3 hours. The procedure is ambulatory.
 
Where is the surgery performed?
 
The surgery is performed within the surgical unit in Tijuana Eye Center. This ophthalmic hospital was designed exclusively for ophthalmic surgery with state of the art equipment that along with highly trained medical specialists allowing us to perform surgeries not routinely performed elsewhere.
 
Will I have pain?
 
There is NO pain during surgery. The great majority of patients do no experience pain after surgery. Usual symptoms include slight burning sensation, and tearing. These symptoms usually subside after a couple of days.
 
What will happen after surgery?
 
After the surgery, you will be in recovery for about one to two hours. Once your vital signs are stable and are completely oriented, you will be discharged to go home or a hotel. A patch will be placed over the eye for a day. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops will be used during several weeks after surgery. It is important to not touch your eyes after surgery, you may not exercise or drive until the ophthalmologist authorizes such activities.
 
Who is the ideal candidate of surgery?
 
Corneal damage from many different sources can be treated with a transplant. Some conditions that can result in a transplant are:
 
corneal failure after other eye surgery
keratoconus – a disease involving abnormal curvature of the cornea
inherited corneal diseases
scarring after infections – particularly herpes
rejection of a first transplant
scarring after a physical injury
 
Whatever the source of the damage, an ideal candidate has explored pharmaceutical treatments to these problems and they have been eliminated in their case. The vision from the diseased cornea should be so affected as to justify the risks inherent in a transplant procedure.
 
What experience does Tijuana Eye Center have in Corneal Transplant Surgery?
 
Corneal transplant surgery is a delicate surgery that is not practiced at by every ophthalmologist or at every ophthalmology clinic. This type of surgery requires specialized installations, training in management and logistics of corneal tissue, licensing permits by the state and federal health ministry and experience. The aforementioned will all contribute in one way or another to the success or failure of a corneal transplant surgery.
 
The Corneal Transplant Program at Tijuana Eye Center has been in operation during the last 20 years. The success of corneal transplant surgery at Tijuana Eye Center is over 95%. We have corneal specialists trained to perform corneal transplant surgery. They have also been certified by the APABO (PanAmerican Asociation of Eye Banks) in the management of eye banks and eye tissue.
 
What can I expect after surgery?
 
After surgery, you will be in the recovery area until you are discharged. You will be able to go home the same day. A patch will be placed over the eye, that will be removed the next day. Antibiotic and Anti-inflammatory eye drops will be used during the following days and weeks to help speed recovery.
 
It is important to avoid touching your eye after the surgery, avoid exercising and no driving during several weeks until your ophthalmologist authorizes such activities.
 
What is the recovery period like?
 
Recovery time is long lasting between 6 and 12 months to ensure proper wound healing.
 
It is important to look out for certain symptoms that could indicate a problem such as corneal rejection. These symptoms include sudden vision loss, redness, tearing pain and light sensitivity.
 
What can I expect long term in regards to vision?
 
Vision will improve slowly over weeks and months. It is normal for prescription eyeglasses or contact lenses to be prescribed once all stitches are removed.

¿What is a corneal transplant?

The cornea is the tissue on the very front of the eye. It is clear and covers the iris and pupil. It works with the lens to provide focusing power to the eye. If the cornea becomes opaque, swollen, or scarred, vision is compromised. Medication to control the damage to the cornea is usually the first line of treatment, but once it is clear that medication will not halt or alter the damage, a corneal transplant is considered. This surgical procedure involves the removal of the damaged tissue and replacement with a healthy, donated human cornea. Because this procedure is a transplant of foreign tissue into the eye, rejection of the tissue by the immune system of the recipient is the greatest risk. However, drugs can be used to hold back the rejection reaction both before it occurs and even after the fact. The rejection rate for corneal transplants is between 5–10% at 10 years after surgery.

FEMTO LDV Z8

The FEMTO LDV Z8 femtosecond laser is the latest laser platform to ensure a more precise and secure way to reduce or eliminate the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
 
Previously, a machine called a microkeratome created a mechanical cut with a metal blade so the excimer laser could correct the visual defect. Today, we can program the FEMTO LDV Z8 to make the desired flap diameter size and thickness with extreme precision. This not only increases the safety and precision of our results but also reduces the risk of infection by reducing the amount of surgical tools needed during the surgical procedure.
 
The FEMTO LDV Z8 is in a class by itself with patented technology such as a low energy frequency pulse and density which have the advantage of:
 
Less air bubbles in the stromal interface
Less mechanical stress on the tissues
Less side effects
More tissue preservation
Faster recovery time