[:en]2 August 2010 (Dubai, UAE): Three-dimensional (3-D) entertainment is now exploding across our cinema and television screens (and even laptop computers) transforming the viewing experience and creating a new wave of entertainment led by block buster movies such as Avatar. However, not everyone can enjoy the 3-D experience. According to the Royal College of Ophthalmology, approximately 2-3 per cent of the general population cannot perceive 3-D images because of the early onset of squint, or an eye problem that develops later in life.
The principle behind 3-D imaging is that we have binocular vision, with two eyes separated by a space of 2-3 inches, explains Dr Chris Canning, Medical Director of Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai: “This separation causes each eye to see the world from a slightly different perspective; when combined, this single image enables us to perceive depth and distance, and to see the world and media content in ‘3-D’. If there are multiple objects in our field of view, we can tell their relative distance. If you look at the world with one eye closed, you can still perceive distance, but your accuracy decreases and you have to rely on other visual cues.”
The brain combines these two images from our eyes into one composite image. “A simple way of testing this is to look at the same object with each eye covered alternately; the image shifts very slightly from eye to eye. In a cinema, the reason we wear 3-D glasses is to feed different images into our eyes.”
The cinema screen actually displays two images, and the glasses cause each image to enter a different eye. At many 3-D venues, the preferred method is to use polarized lenses because they allow color viewing. Two synchronized projectors project two views onto the screen, each with a different polarization. The glasses allow only one of the images into each eye because of the different polarization of the glasses.
“In order to see in 3-D we must have good vision in both eyes and they must work together simultaneously,” adds Dr Canning. “However, for people who have a vision misalignment or those who have severe eye conditions, viewing in 3-D is difficult – if not impossible.”
Some of the severe vision conditions which prevent people seeing in 3-D include amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eye), convergence insufficiency (unable to maintain the correct alignment of the eyes for near targets) and diplopia (double vision).
For those of us lucky enough to be able to enjoy the miracle of 3-D technology, there is still a concern that watching 3-D entertainment can cause side effects, with claims that these can include headaches, dizziness, nausea and eye strain. According to Dr. Chris Canning: “3-D technology is a remarkable concept which has added depth and enjoyment to our viewing experience. Watching 3-D does not damage the eyesight; however, if any symptoms or side effects should appear and persist then it is recommended to visit an eye care professional.”
Contact: Jonathan Walsh/Vanessa Payne
WPR Limited
Dubai
050 4588610
[email protected]
Tag: eye hospital dubai
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai offers free eye consultations to TECOM staff and partners, in support of Dubai Healthcare City’s health check campaign
[:en]14 September 2010 (Dubai, UAE): Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (Moorfields), the Dubai branch of the world renowned London hospital for eye treatment, teaching and research, is offering free eye consultations in support of the health check campaign by Dubai Healthcare City.
Dubai Healthcare City’s Health Check program 2010 will offer free lunchtime consultations with doctors covering a range of health-related matters in different TECOM Business Parks, for a total of eight weeks. The consultations will be by appointment on a first response basis.
Moorfields has committed to providing free eye care checks through the full day on Wednesday 15th September 2010, from 0900-16.30pm, at Dubai Knowledge Village (Block 2A. room 4). Dr Imran Ansari, General Ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, will be conducting the eye checks. All appointments for the day have been booked.
Executive Director of Dubai Healthcare City, Dr. Ayesha Abdullah said: “Dubai Healthcare City is committed to health prevention not just treatment. This is a commitment I know our healthcare partners share and I am delighted that Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai is supporting our initiative today to increase public engagement on health by offering free eye consultations. Every week, for the next eight weeks we will be working with DHCC clinics and hospitals to provide free expert advice and care to the community. We want people to put their health first and are delighted to be launching this initiative with one of the world’s oldest and most admired eye hospitals.”
Dr Chris Canning, Medical Director at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, added: “Moorfields welcomes this initiative by Dubai Healthcare City for the benefit of staff and partners at TECOM. Education and screening are prime objectives of ours and this programme delivers both. Healthcare should be as much about screening and prevention as well as treatment; and a regular health check up – including an eye check – is a vital habit to instil in the community.”
Contact: Jonathan Walsh/Vanessa Payne
WPR Limited
Dubai
050 4588610
[email protected]
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai appoints Mariano Gonzalez as the new Managing DirectorMoorfields Eye Hospital Dubai appoints Mariano Gonzalez as the new Managing Director
[:en]29 October 2012 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates): Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, (Moorfields) the first overseas branch of the world renowned Moorfields London eye hospital, has announced the appointment of Mr Mariano Gonzalez as its new Managing Director. Prior to taking up his new position at Moorfields, Mr Gonzalez was the Group Chief Operating Officer at Al Noor Hospital Group in Abu Dhabi.
Mariano Gonzalez held several senior positions in general management before moving into the healthcare sector in 2002. A Spanish national, he initially worked as Chief Operating Officer in the Canary Islands (Spain) before relocating to Abu Dhabi in 2008. He was appointed Hospital Director of Khalifa Hospital (Al Noor Hospitals) then became Group COO in 2011.
Commenting on the new appointment, Mr John Pelly, Chief Executive of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust, said: “Mariano Gonzalez is very well qualified to take on this important new management role within Moorfields and he brings extensive experience and an outstanding track record of achievement in the healthcare sector within the UAE to his new position. Mariano will continue the work of Dr Chris Canning who led the original project to establish Moorfields in Dubai and who led the team with great distinction for five successful years, following the launch in 2007. Mariano will lead the hospital through its next phase of development as we continue to expand and develop our services across the UAE.”
Mariano Gonzalez holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, Arizona, USA (2009). He was Principal Professor at the Business School San Pablo CEU, Madrid, Spain, from 2000-2003. He holds a number of professional memberships including Member of the American College of Healthcare Executive (ACHE), Chicago, USA (2006); Member of the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development, American Hospital Association (2010).
Moorfields has treated more than 20,000 patients since opening in Dubai, in 2007.
Issued on behalf of MEHD by WPR.
Media Contact:
Jonathan Walsh
WPR
Dubai
Tel: 050 4588610
Email: [email protected]
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai appoints new Medical Director
[:en]1 November 2012 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates): Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, the first overseas branch of the world-renowned London eye hospital, has announced the appointment of Dr Clare Roberts MA (Cantab), BM BCh (Oxon), FRCOphth as the hospital’s new Medical Director. Dr Roberts, who trained at Moorfields London, joined the Dubai hospital in 2010 as Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist and Strabismus Surgeon. She assumes the role of Medical Director following the return to Moorfields London of Dr Chris Canning, who held the positions of CEO and Medical Director from the establishment of the hospital in 2006. Many of the hospital’s consultants are Moorfields London trained and all are based permanently in the UAE.
Dr Roberts is an experienced consultant ophthalmologist specialising in the assessment and management of children with eye problems, as well as the management of adults with strabismus (crossed eye). She studied medicine both at Cambridge and Oxford University and trained in the UK, acquiring the Fellowship of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, and completing her subspecialty training in paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus at Moorfields London. Prior to joining Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, Dr Roberts was a consultant at Imperial College NHS Trust in London, where she managed a large paediatric ophthalmology service including screening and treatment for retinopathy of prematurity. Dr Roberts has a research interest in amblyopia (lazy eye) and retinopathy of prematurity and has published work in paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.
Commenting on the appointment, Mariano Gonzalez, who was recently appointed Managing Director at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, said: “Dr Roberts has been a highly valued member of the team of consultants at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai since 2010 and will provide an important point of continuity in Dubai. Her credentials are outstanding and she has the Moorfields London training that we value so highly, as well as the world class skills that have benefited the community and especially the children that we treat at the hospital. We congratulate her on this new appointment and have every confidence that she will continue to ably demonstrate the leadership qualities that will be important as the hospital expands and develops in the UAE.”
Issued on behalf of MEHD by WPR.
Media Contact:
Jonathan Walsh
WPR
Dubai
Tel: 050 4588610
Email: [email protected]
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai PCRF patient press release
[:en]
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai treats young Palestinian patient in Dubai
23 December 2012 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) has referred a young patient to Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (Moorfields) – the Dubai branch of Moorfields Eye Hospital in London – for specialist eye treatment.
Anaghim lost her eye through a tumour when she was just a few months old and has undergone several surgeries as she has grown and the eye socket has developed.
An 11 year old girl, she is one of four children living with their parents in the Beach Refugee Camp in Gaza and needs surgery to replace an orbital implant. This procedure will allow her to have a permanent artificial eye fitted by the Hospital’s ocularist at a later date, after healing following the surgery.
Anaghim will have surgery in December by Dr Andrea Sciscio, an Oculoplastic Surgeon based permanently at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai. Three months following the surgery, once the socket has healed, it will be possible for the Hospital’s ocularist to craft and fit an artificial eye.
The PCRF UAE Chapter managed all the logistics to bring Anaghim to the UAE, including visas and travel arrangements; she is currently staying with her grandparents in the UAE.
Dr Andrea Sciscio, Consultant Oculoplastic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, comments: “The objective of this surgery is to allow Anaghim’s eye socket for the fitting of a new orbital ball implant, which fills the eye socket and maintains its shape and volume like a natural eyeball, over which we can fit a very natural looking Artificial Eye which can be produced to match precisely Anaghim’s real eye. It is important that we are able to provide this continuity of patient care here at the hospital, which is so critical to the outcome of the procedure and so will be monitoring her after the surgery and before the fitting of the artificial eye.”
Moorfields has already treated several serious eye cases for the PCRF patients since opening 5 years ago and the PCRF welcomed Moorfield’s continuing medical support for its work. Steve Sosebee, President and CEO of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, commented: “On behalf of the PCRF, I would like to thank Moorfields for continuing to help the young people in Palestine who cannot get adequate medical care locally, and which makes such a difference to the quality of life for the patients and their families.”
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is a US based charity with chapters in several countries and has sent more than 60 injured and sick children to the UAE over the past five years, including twelve in 2012, for medical care that was not available to them in Palestine. PCRF has also worked with a number of national and international foundations including Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, The Little Wings Foundation and Slam Ya Sighar.
www.pcrf.net
-ends-
Notes to editors:
About the PCRF
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is a non-political, non-profit entity established in 1991 by concerned people in the United States to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East. The PCRF is registered as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization in the U.S., and in the U.A.E. it operates solely as an unincorporated network of committed supporters. PCRF – U.A.E. does not engage in any fund-raising activities without the formal approval of properly licensed local entities based in the U.A.E. www.pcrf.net
About Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai (MEHD) is the first overseas branch of Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, the oldest and one of the largest centres for ophthalmic treatment, teaching and research in the world. Located at the Al Razi Medical Complex in Dubai Health Care City, the facility provides day case surgery and outpatient diagnostic and treatment services, for a variety of surgical and non-surgical eye conditions. MEHD will also raise standards for research and teaching in the region. MEHD is owned and managed by the NHS Foundation Trust, and maintains close links with London, to ensure that patients in the GCC receive the best eye care treatment in the world.
Issued on behalf of Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai by WPR.
Media contacts:
PCRF: Mazen Aloul, Media Coordinator, PCRF, M:+971 50 4626593, E: [email protected], W: http://community.pcrf.net/
http://pcrf.net/
Moorfields: Jonathan Walsh, WPR Limited, Dubai, +971 50 4588610, [email protected]
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai unlocks the secrets to younger eyes this summer
[:en]2 June 2013 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates): Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and when it comes to anti-aging, cosmetic facial surgery around the eyes (‘periorbital rejuvenation’ as it is known to the experts) is the most common procedure. But results can be erratic with low patient satisfaction. The best results are achieved when patients are operated on by Oculoplastic Surgeons who regularly operate on the eyelid and periorbital region, say the Consultant Oculoplastic Surgeons at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, the first overseas branch of the world renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
The most common procedure in facial cosmetic surgery is performed on the upper and lower eyelids – ‘blepharoplasty’. Around 250,000 procedures are performed every year around the world. However, whilst it is a common procedure, the results can vary significantly from patient expectations. “Traditional Blepharoplasty has an enormous potential for disaster,” says Dr Andrea Sciscio, Consultant Oculoplastic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai. “There is no perfect aesthetic procedure and it is very much a case of understanding each patient’s exact problem and address it accordingly.”
Blepharoplasty has evolved enormously since it was first developed 70 years ago. Over the decades, the techniques have developed to yield the best aesthetic outcome for each patient individually. The eyelids have to be evaluated in the context of the eyebrow and the mid-face appearance – its overall ‘height’ and structure, adds Dr Qasiem Nasser, Consultant Oculoplastic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai: “An analysis of the soft tissues from the eyebrows to the mid-face, and from the surface to the deeper structures up to the orbital rim (eye socket and surrounding structure), allows the surgeon to establish the aging changes that have occurred with the patient and helps direct the blepharoplasty surgery to deliver the optimal aesthetic outcome.”
From June-August 2013, Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai is offering a special summer rate on consultations for aesthetic eye surgery.
Eye experts raise concerns about cataracts as age and diabetes raise threat levels in the region
[:en]30 June 2014 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates): According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cataracts are the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in the world (47.9%) and their prevalence increases each year as the world’s population ages. Eye experts at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai are warning about the rising incidence of cataracts in the GCC’s young but ageing population (over 65 segment growing from 1.2% in 2015 to 14.2% of the GCC population by 2050) and especially amongst the large diabetic community in the GCC, where the risk of cataracts is much higher. Age and diabetes are the two main risk factors for cataracts.
Cataracts cause gradual blurring of the vision. In 2002, cataracts caused reversible blindness in more than 17 million of the 37 million blind individuals worldwide; this figure is projected to reach 40 million by 2020. In the Gulf region, an ageing population and high incidence of diabetes is raising concerns among eye experts.
‘Cataract’ is an English word for a large waterfall and is also a very apt term used to describe a gradual loss of vision as the lens of the eye becomes opaque and so is like looking through a waterfall. Cataracts are cloudy opacifications of the lens of the eye that interfere with vision. Cataracts can be caused by a wide variety of factors. The lens of the eye is made up of cells that contain protein and with increasing age and after damage to the lens cells by trauma, illness or certain medications over time the protein becomes denser and the lens may start to cloud over.Age is the single most important risk factor for cataracts, which are rare before the age of 40 – although babies can also be born with cataracts. Diabetes is one of the other key factors that result in the development of cataracts; people with diabetes mellitus statistically face a 60% greater risk of developing cataracts.
As with most complications of diabetes, maintaining good control of blood sugar levels will help to reduce risk. Research has shown that people with type 2 diabetes who lower their HbA1c level by just 1% can reduce their risk of cataracts by 19%.Dr Edoardo Zinicola, Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon and Medical Retina Specialist at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, the first overseas branch of the world’s largest eye hospital, comments: “We cannot turn back time and even the young population of the Middle East will eventually age, potentially creating a wave of chronic disease – principally diabetes, which will create this perfect storm for cataracts and other serious eye complications. Cataracts generally develop and progress slowly and can eventually lead to significant vision problems. The good news is that cataracts can be treated very effectively with modern surgery to remove the cloudy lens and insert a high quality lens implant. Once treated, cataracts do not return.”
Moorfields is inviting the community and people with diabetes for cataract screening, diagnosis and assessment, as well as surgery where appropriate, and is offering special rates during the summer months.
Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai supports Dubai Healthcare City’s ‘World Diabetes Day campaign’, a public health screening event offering more than 10 tests for children and adults
[:en]Vision experts will provide complimentary consultations to explain some of the most common and serious complications of diabetes
12 November 2014 (Dubai, United Arab Emirates): To mark World Diabetes Day 2014, Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai will support Dubai Healthcare City’s public health screening campaign aimed to educate the community about diabetes through consultations and health checks.
The event, organized by DHCC, the world’s largest healthcare free zone, will take place on Thursday, November 13, 4pm-8pm, at The Executive Towers, Business Bay, Dubai. A team from the hospital will provide residents seeking consultations with medical history review, intra-ocular pressure tests, visual acuity checks, and retinal imaging. The vision tests will use state-of-the-art technology.
Retinal diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, are some of the most common complications caused by diabetes and can lead to permanent loss of vision if not treated. To help the UAE’s large population of people with diabetes manage the disease, Moorfields has established a specialist team of three retinal consultant surgeons and ophthalmologists in Dubai focusing on medical retinal diseases, such as diabetes. Dr. Avinash Gurbaxani, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, comments: “Vision-related problems are some of the most common and serious complications of diabetes. Of course, the single most effective treatment for diabetic eye disease is prevention – good control of diabetes and any associated high blood pressure can delay or avoid significant eye problems. Prevention of diabetic eye disease starts with regular eye examinations which can so often provide an indicator of the diabetes or blood pressure control. Regular screening should begin from an early age, regardless of whether there are vision symptoms or not.”
Diabetic retinopathy
Every cell in the eye (and, indeed, the body) is affected by the biochemical changes of diabetes. In practice, however, retinopathy is a disease of blood vessels – sometimes they wither away, sometimes they leak fluids when they shouldn’t and sometimes they grow where they do not belong. The blood vessels in the retina are uniquely prone to going wrong in this way, although the same changes can be found elsewhere in the body.
Treating diabetic retinopathy
According to Dr Edoardo Zinicola, Consultant Vitreoretinal Surgeon and Medical Retina Specialist at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, once retinopathy is present, direct eye treatment may be needed and the type of treatment depends on the problem. “There is no effective treatment for the parts of the retina where blood vessels have disappeared,” he comments. “Laser photocoagulation remains the first line of treatment for both new and leaking vessels. Injections of steroids and medicines known as VEGF blocking agents also have a role and where the eye disease is advanced then surgery can help.”
Prevention tips for patients at risk of diabetic retinopathy
- Control the diabetes as well as you can
- Control high blood pressure
- Do not smoke
- Get regular eye checks
- Take charge of your own health
The Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai specialist team of retinal consultant surgeons and ophthalmologists comprises: Dr Avinash Gurbaxani; Dr Edoardo Zinicola; Dr Jana Sheqem.
Intravitreal Injection
The macula is the central part of the retina at the back of the eye. It is responsible for fine vision (reading, writing, watching television, and recognising faces). Patients with diabetes may develop macular oedema (swelling of the retina) due to leaking of fluid from blood vessels. This causes the vision to become blurred.
A course of three injections is recommended with each injection administered one month apart. The procedure is carried out in a clean environment using sterile technique. The eye is cleaned and local anaesthetic drops are given to numb the eye.
The eye may or may not be covered after the injection. If a pad is applied, this may be removed when you reach home.
High Precision Refractive Surgery
When you decide on an eye laser treatment, you expect the best possible results. The more fully developed the methods are, the better the outcome will be. The SCHWIND AMARIS 750S offers you the leading technology for your laser treatment – superior in all important aspects: Speed, precision, safety and comfort.
Corneal Transplantation (PK)
Why do you need a corneal transplant?
The cornea is a window of transparent tissue at the front of the eyeball. It allows light to pass into the eye and provides focus so that images can be seen. Various diseases or injury can make the cornea either cloudy or out of shape. This prevents the normal passage of light and affects vision.
A cloudy cornea can be replaced by a healthy one from a donor to restore vision.If the full thickness of the cornea is affected by disease, then a full thickness transplant is performed. This is known as a penetrating keratoplasty.
Benefits of penetrating keratoplasty
Improved vision
- Approximately 75% of transplant recipients have vision sufficient to drive legally but may need glasses or contact lenses or sometimes further surgery for best results.
- It may take up to 18 months until the full improvement in vision is appreciated.
Risks of penetrating keratoplasty
Rare but serious complications
- Sight-threatening infection (1 in 1,000)
- Severe haemorrhage causing loss of vision
- Retinal detachment
- Severe inflammation or other rare causes of loss of vision
Corneal transplant rejection
A corneal transplant can be identified and attacked by your immune system. This happens in one in six patients in the first two years after transplantation and can cause graft failure. It can often be reversed if anti-rejection medication is started promptly.
Rejection remains a possibility for your lifetime.
Graft failure
When a graft fails, your cornea becomes cloudy again and your vision becomes blurred. This happens in one in 10 transplants for keratoconus in the first 10 years.
Glaucoma
This can usually be controlled by eye drops, but occasionally requires surgery and can damage the sight.
Cataract
This can be removed surgically.
About the operation
The operation
The operation is performed under general or local anaesthetic. The operation takes about one hour. A central 8mm button of your cornea is removed and a similar-sized button of the donor cornea is stitched in with tiny stitches (see front cover). These cannot be felt or seen. The abnormal cornea, which is removed, is sent to our pathology laboratory for examination under a microscope.
After the operation
You will usually be examined by the surgical team after the surgery and can generally go home the same day. You will be seen again within one week in the outpatient clinic and regularly thereafter (approximately six visits in the first year). We generally recommend that you take two weeks off work – discuss your individual circumstances with your doctor. You will need to use anti-rejection eye drops for at least six months and in some cases indefinitely. Individual
stitches may be removed from three months after the operation, but complete stitch removal is not performed until at least one year after the procedure.
What if my transplant fails?
A failed transplant can be replaced in a procedure known as a regraft, but the risk of subsequent rejection and failure increases each time for regrafts.
The percentages of full-thickness corneal grafts that are still functioning well five years after the operation under various conditions are:
| Condition | % |
|---|---|
| Keratoconus | 95 |
| Fuchs’ dystrophy | 80-90 |
| Stormal Scar | 80-90 |
| Stromal dystrophies | 80-90 |
| Bullous keratopathy | 50-80 |
| Bacterial infections | 50-80 |
| Herpetic keratitis | 50-80 |
| Fungal infection | 0-50 |
| 3rd or higher number regraft | 0-50 |
| 4 quadrants of blood vessels | 0-50 |
| Inflammation at time of surgery | 0-50 |
| Severe ocular surface disease | 0-50 |
| Grafts greater than 10mm | 0-50 |
Consenting for information sharing
We are required to share your information with the Eye Bank who supply donor corneas, to ensure high quality transplant material.
Corneal transplant rejection
Rejection needs urgent treatment as this can lead to failure of the transplant and loss of vision.
Symptoms of rejection are:
- Red eye
- Sensitivity to light
- Visual loss
- Pain
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should immediately call our 24-hour emergency phone line 055 516 1586.
Corneal Transplantation (EK)
Why do you need a corneal transplant?
The cornea is a window of transparent tissue at the front of the eyeball. It allows light to pass into the eye and provides focus so that images can be seen. Various diseases or injury can make the cornea either cloudy or out of shape. This prevents the normal passage of light and affects vision.
The cornea has three layers (thin outer and inner layers and a thick middle layer). In some diseases, only the inside layer (endothelium) is affected, causing corneal oedema (swelling) and clouding (see below). Endothelial keratoplasty is a modern technique to replace the inside layer of your cornea with the inside layer from a donor cornea through a relatively small incision (opening).
Benefits of endothelial Keratoplasty
Improved vision
The majority of transplant recipients have sufficiently good vision to be able to drive legally although many need glasses. It can take up to six months until the full improvement is appreciated. Comfort is improved in some cases.
Risks of endothelial Keratoplasty
Rare but serious complications
- Sight-threatening infection (1 in 1,000)
- Severe haemorrhage causing loss of vision
- Retinal detachment
- Severe inflammation or other rare causes of loss of vision
Corneal transplant rejection
A corneal transplant can be identified and attacked by your immune system. This happens in between 6% and 10% of DSAEK recipients in the first two years after transplantation and can cause graft failure. It can often be reversed if anti-rejection medication is started promptly. Rejection remains a possibility for your lifetime. The rejection risk in DMEK appears to be lower than in DSAEK.
Graft failure
When a graft fails, the cornea becomes cloudy again and vision becomes blurred.
Glaucoma
This can usually be controlled by eye drops, but occasionally requires surgery and can damage your sight.
Graft dislocation
About 10% of endothelial grafts dislocate and need to be repositioned in theatre.
Cataract
This can be removed surgically.
Possible advantages of EK over full-thickness graft
- Faster recovery
- Fewer stitches, which means that the shape of the cornea is more “normal” and you are less dependent on glasses/ contact lens
- Smaller wound so fewer wound complications such as leakage or wound rupture after accidental injury
About the operation
The operation
The operation is usually performed under local anaesthetic and takes about one hour. Through a small incision (opening), your endothelium is removed and an 8.5mm disc of donor endothelium is inserted and pressed in position against the back of your cornea by a bubble of air. You will need to lie flat for one hour after the operation. Usually, only two stitches are used to close the incision.
After the operation
You will usually be examined by the surgical team after your surgery and can generally go home the same day. You will be seen again the next day and within one week to make sure the graft stays in position. You will have about six visits to the outpatient clinic in the first year. We generally recommend that you take two weeks off work – discuss your individual circumstances with your doctor. You will need to use anti-rejection eyedrops for at least six months and in some cases indefinitely. The stitches are usually removed at about three months.
What if my transplant fails?
A failed transplant can be replaced in a procedure known as a regraft. However, the risk of subsequent rejection and failure increases each time for second and subsequent regrafts.
Consenting for information sharing
We are required to share your information with the Eye Bank who supply donor corneas, to ensure high quality transplant material.
Corneal transplant rejection
Rejection needs urgent treatment as this can lead to failure of the transplant and loss of vision.
Symptoms of rejection are:
- Red eye
- Sensitivity to light
- Visual loss
- Pain
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should immediately call our 24-hour emergency phone line 055 516 1586.
