How great is the need for corneas and eye tissue?
Despite many hundreds of corneal graft surgeries taking place in Kenya, the need is ever increasing and unfortunately, never satisfied. To date, the use of artificial materials for corneal transplants has been unsuccessful. As a result, patients awaiting corneal transplants depend solely on the gift of tissue donation. If you choose to donate the whole eye instead of the cornea alone, the white part of the eye (sclera) can also be used for other eye diseases. Before the operation? An eye before corneal graftingOnce a decision is made that you require a corneal transplant, your name is put on a computer database in an eye bank. The wait for the cornea depends on your age compatibility with the available donor tissue and your degree of visual handicap. Your ophthalmologist may request you to undergo a physical examination and perform other tests to determine whether you have any medical conditions that might affect the surgery. It is important to discuss with your surgeon any medication
