Cornea Tranplant

Transplan t

By: Darragh Schick and Tori Smith

About The Corneas •

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Corneas are found in the nervous system. The corneas are located in the eye. Corneas refract light and help the eye to focus.

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Statistics

About 5,000 people receive Corneal Transplants in the USA per year. There is a 85% success rate of Corneal Transplants in the USA per year. Most people don’t die from waiting for a Corneal Transplant. There is no life expectancy

Qualifications

Requirements to be put on the list to receive a cornea: •Thinning of the cornea. •Cornea scarring due to infection or injury. •Clouding of cornea. Corneal ulcers. •Restore vision. Requirement for donor: Must be dead.

Disqualifications Active hepatitis, organic •

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brain disease, or HIV/AIDs could disqualify someone to donate their cornea. There are no disqualifications that could be found for those who wish to receive a Corneal Transplant.

Hospitals That Transplant Corneas •

Moorfields Eye Hospital • Bascolm Palmer Eye Institute

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Surgery Information

Depending on the extent of the surgery and what your insurance covers, the transplant may cost about $7,500. There is no cost for removing the cornea from the donors since the donors are cadavers. The surgery takes about 12 hours for the recipient; unknown for the donor.

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Anti-Rejection drugs are normally not needed. However, the doctor prescribes eye drops. Vigorous sports activities should be avoided until at least six months after surgery; consult your doctor after then. Post operative therapy includes using eye drops and regular checkups with

Post Surgery

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Bibliography •

http://www.westtexaseye.com/corneal.htm

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/cornea •

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/

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http://www.locateadoc.com/questions.cfm/1506

http://www.healthgrades.com/procedures/profile/ •

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images

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http://surgeryimages.blogspot.com/2007/04/corn

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http://www.eyes-and-vision.com/cornulcersml.jpg