Results

Most people who receive a cornea transplant will have their vision at least partially restored. What you can expect after your cornea transplant depends on the reason for your surgery and your health.

Your risk of complications and cornea rejection continues for years after your cornea transplant. For this reason, see your eye doctor annually. Cornea rejection can often be managed with medications.

Vision correction after surgery

Your vision might initially be worse than before your surgery as your eye adjusts to the new cornea. It can take several months for your vision to improve.

Once the outer layer of your cornea has healed — several weeks to several months after surgery — your eye doctor will work to make adjustments that can improve your vision, such as:

• Correcting unevenness in your cornea (astigmatism). The stitches that hold the donor cornea in place on your eye might cause dips and bumps in your cornea, making your vision blurry in spots. Your doctor might correct some of this by releasing some stitches and tightening others.
• Correcting vision problems. Refractive errors, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or, in some cases, laser eye surgery.