Sight for sore eyes December 1992

 

Cornea Transplant available at Meadowlands Hospital

 

There's a little less to worry about now that the Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center has made Cornea Transplantation available. In a world of growing blindness, this surgical procedure to restore the vision due to damaged cornea can be a welcome relief, since cornea damage has numerous causes including chemical burns, abrasion, ulceration, thinned cornea tissue, herpes infection, glaucoma, and an inherited disorder known as Fuchs corneal dystorphy.

"The procedure is quick and effective and can be done on an outpatient basis, allowing the patient to return home within a few hours of surgery," said Dr. Nicholas Trotta.

The cornea is a curved, clear covering over the eye's lens, like a watch glass, which prevents exposure to harmful substances. It is also the principal focusing surface of the eye.

Dr. Trotta said the procedure is done with local anesthesia and usually takes less than an hour. After surgery, patient is observed, then released wearing an opaque eye patch and plastic shield. The patch can be removed the next day but shield must be worn during sleep for about ten days to keep the eye clean and free of infection.

Rejection of transplanted material is unlikely as in many other transplant procedures because cornea has no blood vessels and it rarely need drugs to inhibit rejection.

"In five to ten percent of cases, the patient may have an allergic reaction to the transplanted tissue," Trotta said. "If so, we simply remove the graft and replace it with a new one."

Recent studies show grafted cornea remains effective for an average of 10 to 12 years, though it often lasts much longer. Even then, when the graft become ineffective, it can be removed and replaced. The graft material is procured from the International Eye Bank, which collects and distributes eye tissue for patients around the world.

"The wait for a donor is relative short, ranging from a few days to a few months," Trotta said. "Our association with the International Eye Bank keeps the process prompt and efficient."

Trotta has been performing Cornea transplant surgery for more than 20 years.



email to Al Sullivan

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