Cornea Transplants in Shreveport, LA
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The team at Lusk Eye Specialists is proud to provide safe and effective cornea surgery to our patients. Our mission is to provide you with an exceptional patient experience and surgical outcome, and we’re confident that we can meet your needs before, during, and after surgery.
We want our patients to feel The Lusk Difference when they trust us with their eyes, so we are committed to providing the most experienced practitioners in eye health. Our cornea specialist just happens to be part of the family — Bryan E. Lusk, M.D. brings over 15 years of experience and a deep passion for his patients’ experience in every procedure he performs. Below, you can learn more about corneal transplants and what Dr. Bryan and the Lusk team can do for your eyes.
What is a Cornea Transplant?
The cornea is the clear, outer layer at the front of the eye. It works with your eye’s lens to focus light onto your retina — the part of your eye that sends images of what you see to your brain. This makes the cornea a crucial part of the eye. While cells in the cornea can usually regenerate when they’re damaged, some illnesses or injuries can cause permanent harm to the tissue. This damage can either obstruct your vision directly or prevent your cornea from doing its job properly. In these cases, a cornea transplant may be a solution that Dr. Bryan and the team at Lusk Eye Specialists decides is right for you.
The process of a cornea transplant is exactly what it sounds like: your corneal tissue is removed and replaced with healthy, functional tissue from a donor.
What to expect on surgery day:
There are essentially two types of corneal transplants: full thickness and partial thickness.
Full thickness, or penetrating keratoplasty, removes all layers of the cornea. For many years, this was the only kind of cornea transplant available. It’s a safe and effective procedure, but because recovery from a full thickness cornea transplant can take longer, we only perform it when necessary.
Partial thickness corneal transplants are more commonly performed these days. They only require us to treat the cornea layers that have been affected. These partial thickness procedures have smaller incisions, less transplanted tissue, and shorter recovery times, making them preferable in most situations where surgery is required.
What Does a Cornea Transplant Treat?
When a cornea is only slightly misshapen, this can create refractive vision issues, such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism. These can be corrected with eyewear or permanently fixed with LASIK eye surgery at Lusk Eye Specialists.
Cornea issues, which call for a cornea transplant are more severe, and are usually caused by genetic conditions, infection, or injury. Two of the most common diseases that can be treated by a cornea transplant are Fuchs’ dystrophy and Keratoconus. Fuchs’ dystrophy is a condition where the endothelium (the innermost layer of the cornea, which removes excess fluid) starts to degenerate and fail. Keratoconus is a condition in which your cornea becomes too thin and begins to bulge outwards in a cone shape.
Beyond these disorders, a variety of infections, inflammations, and injuries can lead to more serious damage to the cornea. Often, these cases result from other factors, such as a complication of cataract surgery, or if you suffer from severe dry eye.
What Can You Expect from a Shreveport Cornea Transplant?
At Lusk Eye Specialists, your cornea transplant will be completed in a simple, painless outpatient procedure. This procedure is performed at the Eye Surgery Center next to our office. The facility is dedicated exclusively to eye surgery. After the staff at the eye surgery center check you in, we’ll provide you with a mild sedative. We’ll administer anesthesia and use an eyelid holder to help keep your eye open during surgery.
After our cornea expert, Dr. Bryan Lusk, has removed the diseased part of your cornea, the donor tissue is set in place with very fine sutures or a gas bubble. We’ll patch or shield the eye after surgery. You can expect this operation to take about 60-90 minutes, and after a short recovery period, you can return home.
Everyone heals differently. Your recovery time will depend on the condition of your eyes and the type of cornea transplant you receive. If you follow the recovery protocol given to you by your eye surgeon, you can usually resume normal activities in roughly one week. It will take longer for your eyes to adjust to the new tissue, and can take anywhere from a couple weeks to several months for you to return to a degree of clearer vision similar to what you had before you developed a corneal issue.
Benefits of a Cornea Transplant at Lusk Eye Specialists
The greatest benefit of a cornea transplant cannot be understated. After a simple, outpatient procedure performed by Dr. Bryan Lusk and his experienced team, most patients experience great visual results.
To learn more about cornea transplants, or to find out if your vision problems are being caused by a cornea issue, request an appointment at Lusk Eye Specialists, or call us at (318) 378-5594.
