Cornea transplant

The corneal tissue is donated by a deceased individual. The deceased's consent to donate has been obtained from the donation register or through the instructions of relatives. St. Erik Eye Hospital manages a cornea bank where donated corneas are stored for transplantation. 
 
Several quality checks are carried out before the tissue can be approved. The deceased must not have had any communicable diseases, and the cornea must be sterile tested and of good quality. The cornea is stored in a tissue bank until all tests are completed. After a couple of weeks of storage, it then can be used. 
 
Unlike, for example, kidney or liver transplantation, the risk of rejection for cornea transplant is relatively low. This depends however on the medical history, as well as the condition of the cornea and other parts of the eye, prior to keratoplasty. As a rule, we do not need to match donor and recipient, and the patient does not need systemic immunosuppressive treatment after the surgery.

However, this does not mean that the cornea transplant cannot be rejected. Topical treatment with cortison eye drops or ointment is absolutely necessary for at least a year following the surgical procedure. Frequent check-ups are mandatory and alternative or adjunctive treatment, both topical or systemic can be needed.