The cornea is the clear surface on the front of the eye. A corneal transplant is surgery to replace the cornea with tissue from a donor. It is one of the most common transplants done.

You will probably be awake during the transplant. Local anesthesia (numbing medicine) will be injected into your eye to block pain. You may receive a sedative to help you relax.

The tissue for your corneal transplant will come from a person who has died recently who agreed to donate their tissue.

The most common type of corneal transplant is called “penetrating keratoplasty.” During this procedure, your surgeon will remove a small round piece of your cornea. Then your surgeon will sew the donated cornea onto the opening of your eye. Your doctor will remove the stitches at a follow-up visit.

Corneal transplantation is recommended for people who have:

• Vision problems caused by thinning of the cornea. This is called keratoconus.
• Scarring of the cornea from severe infections or injuries.
• Vision loss caused by cloudiness of the cornea. This is called Fuchs’ dystrophy.