Cornea Transplant Gone Bad
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Category: Transplant
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Created: Sunday, 05 May 2019 18:56
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Written by Super User
This is a photo of an eye that underwent 2 corneal transplants due to rejection of the first transplant. Shortly after the 2nd transplant was done, this eye developed an infection and inflammation deep within the interior of the eye which led to a retinal detachment and a collapse of the anterior chamber of the eye. These photos span a period of 18 months. This is now a blind eye with no light perception.
Scleral Lens over Transplanted Cornea
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Category: Transplant
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Created: Sunday, 05 May 2019 18:26
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Written by Super User
While the technology has become better, cornea transplant may still induce a significant amount of irregular astigmatism and higher order aberrations. These aberrations can be reduced or elminated with the GVR scleral lens.
Blunt Trauma to Right Eye with Hemorrhage and Partial Transplant, Vitrectomy, and Cataract Surgery. Now 20/60 with GVR Scleral Lens
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Category: Transplant
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Created: Saturday, 06 August 2016 18:01
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Written by Super User
Patient Age 93 Improves to 20/50 from 20/800 with GVR Scleral Lens
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Category: Transplant
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Created: Saturday, 06 August 2016 17:31
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Written by Super User
Below is a photo of me, our student extern Jennifer Vicente and our patient Gonzalo, age 93, who visited our practice from Lima, Peru. In 2014, Gonzalo's right eye suffered a retinal detachment. Following the retinal repair surgery, a corneal infection and inflammation took place in this eye which required corneal transplant surgery. Following the corneal transplant surgery, a severe defect in the outer layer of the transplanted cornea occurred which never healed. Gonzalo traveled to Miami to have us fit his right eye with a scleral lens. Upon seeing this defect we decided to use stem cell technology to speed the healing process before attempting to fit this eye with a scleral lens. 4 days ago, a therapeutic device known as the Prokera lens was placed on Gonzalo's right eye and remained on this eye without removal until this afternoon. This device is made from amniotic tissue which is the tissue closest to the baby throughout development in the womb. In addition to helping the baby develop, this tissue has healing properties that aid in ocular surface repair with less pain and scarring and less inflammation. The photos below were taken of Gonzalo's right eye when he first visited us 4 days ago and also today when the Prokera Amniotic Membrane was removed. All of the ocular photos seen here are of the right eye. In the first 2 photos can be seen the large, deep, triangular defect. Fluorescein dye along with a special filter was used as a visual aid to better view the cornea in greater detail. The 2nd set of photos were taken today immediately after the Prokera lens was removed. The large epithelial defect which was present for many months is completely healed. To write that we were surprised would be a gross understatement. 4 days ago, the visual acuity in Gonzalo's right eye was less than 20/800. This afternoon we went through with a scleral lens fitting. With the scleral lens Gonzalo will be able to achieve 20/50 vision. Gonzalo and his family who traveled from Lima to visit us were extremely happy with the rapid healing of his right eye and with his greatly improved vision.
Cornea Transplants and GVR Scleral Lens
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Category: Transplant
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Created: Saturday, 20 September 2014 23:11
Be very careful about rushing into a cornea transplant (see images of failed transplants at bottom of this page). About 50,000 corneal transplant surgeries are performed every year in the United States. The purpose of this procedure is to replace diseased corneal tissue with a healthy cornea from an organ donor. Corneal eye disease is the fourth most common cause of a blindness (after cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration) and affects more than 10 million people worldwide.
There is no way to determine the final outcome of a corneal transplant as far as the curvature of the new ocular surface is concerned. Almost all of the post-corneal transplant patients who we have seen over the years have significantly distorted corneas. This is due to the suturing and healing process that every transplanted cornea needs to go through with the recipient eye.
In our specialty practice, all of this special patient population is wearing a GVR Scleral lens over the transplanted cornea. The reasons we use these unique lenses are:
1. There is a life long risk of rejection of the donated cornea. Any contact lens that rubs against the donor cornea could cause irritation and infection to the host eye. It is conceivable that this could lead to rejection of the donated cornea. The GVR Scleral lens vaults over the donor cornea and is supported by the white portion of the eye (the sclera). It does not rest on or touch the donor cornea. Saline solution fills the space between the back surface of the lens and the front surface of the donor cornea. Vision and comfort are almost always excellent.
2. As stated above, there is no way of knowing what the final corneal curvatures of the donor cornea will be after the healing process takes place which could be many months. It has been our experience that almost all of the transplanted corneas we have seen have significant distortions and irregularities after the healing period has taken place. Vision with eyeglasses is usually very poor. Conventional contact lenses such as soft lenses or conventional gas permeable lenses are either not comfortable or provide very poor vision. A scleral lens is the only technology that will replace the irregular transplanted cornea as an optical surface.The GVR Scleral lens along with the liquid interface behind the lens will provide clear comfortable vision once again to the great majority of this patient population.
At the present time, many eye doctors are still telling their patients that they will need a corneal transplant, or to wait until the eye gets bad enough and then they can have a corneal transplant done. These doctors will not inform their patients about non-surgical alternatives such as the GVR Scleral lens which is a non-invasive and yet a very safe alternative when compared to corneal transplant surgery. Many of these eye doctors will never discuss the
risks of corneal transplant surgery.
Below is an image of the GVR scleral lens over cornea transplant
Below is the image of a patient's 4th cornea transplant.
Here are other images of failed transplants



Below is an image of a failed cornea transplant resulting in complete blindness.