Corneal Transplant and Ocular Surface Surgeries

It is a matter of great pride for us to state that we are the only private centre in Jabalpur and Mahakoshal region performing all types of corneal transplants and ocular surface procedures.

What is a corneal transplant?

A transplant is the replacement of damaged or diseased tissues or organs with healthy tissues or organs. In a corneal transplant, the cloudy or warped cornea is replaced with a healthy cornea. If the new cornea heals without problems, there may be tremendous improvement in vision.

The healthy corneal tissue used for transplantation is supplied by an Eye Bank. Eye Banks work round the clock to collect, evaluate, and store donated corneas. The corneas are collected from human donors within hours of death. Stringent tests are done to ensure the safety of the person receiving the cornea. The Eye Bank verifies the donor's medical history and cause of death, and performs blood tests to ensure that the deceased person did not have any contagious disease, such as AIDS or hepatitis.

Since the cornea was one of the first parts of the body to be transplanted, corneal transplants remain one of the most common, and most successful, of all transplants.

At Daksh Netralaya, we procure corneal tissue from Ramayamma International Eye Bank located at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad which is the largest eye bank in the country. The donated corneas are transported to Jabalpur by air and transplanted immediately to needy patients.

Types of Corneal Transplant:

• Penetrating Keratoplasty: The entire cornea with all its layers is transplanted and secured with stitches.
• Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK): Only the upper diseased layers are removed and transplanted by healthy tissue using stitches.
• Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK): The diseased back layer or endothelium is removed and transplanted without stitches. This is the most advanced form of corneal transplant.

Watch Dr. Chaitali Patel Harshey perform a Penetrating Keratoplasty

Watch Dr. Chaitali Patel Harshey perform a DSAEK

Watch Dr. Chaitali Patel Harshey perform a surgery for pterygium

Types of Ocular Surface Surgeries:

Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplant (SLET): The corneal limbus is rich in stem cells which differentiate to form the corneal epithelium and keratocytes. In chemical injuries and autoimmune diseases the limbal stem cells get damaged and hence the cornea becomes hazy and vascularized. SLET involves autologous transplant of healthy limbal epithelium to diseased and deficient areas which improves the ocular surface and corneal clarity.

Amniotic Membrane Transplant: The human amniotic membrane derived from the placenta is rich in growth factors and acts as a scaffold for damaged tissue to heal. Ocular surface injuries, chemical injuries etc can be treated by placing an amniotic membrane that allows normal tissue to grow and heal the surface.

Mucous Membrane Grafts: Eyes are lined with the conjunctival mucous membrane which produces one component of our tears and can get inflamed and scarred by diseases like Stevens Johnson Syndrome, Ocular cicatricial pemphigoid and chemical burns. Mucous membrane from the oral cavity can be transplanted to the eye so that the ocular surface heals and becomes closer to normal.

Dr. Chaitali Patel Harshey, our cornea and ocular surface disease consultant, is trained in these procedures from the prestigious LV Prasad Eye Institute and has done an exclusive research fellowship in Ocular Surface disorders under the mentorship of renowned corneal and ocular surface expert Dr. Sayan Basu at LV Prasad Eye Institute.