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Cornea transplant

A cornea transplant is an operation to replace all or part of a damaged cornea. It can improve your vision or treat other eye problems.

The cornea is the clear, outer part of the front of the eye. It's made up of an inner, middle and outer layer.

Why a cornea transplant is done

You might need a cornea transplant if your cornea is damaged.

It's usually done if wearing glasses or contact lenses is no longer enough to improve your vision, or you have eye pain.

Damage to your cornea can be caused by conditions such as:

  • keratoconus, an eye condition where your cornea gradually gets thinner and changes shape
  • Fuch's dystrophy, an inherited eye condition that makes your cornea cloudy
  • a severe eye infection
  • complications after cataract surgery
  • an eye injury

What happens during a cornea transplant

A cornea transplant takes 1 to 2 hours. Most people go home the same day, but some people need to stay in hospital for 1 to 2 days.

You'll usually have a local anaesthetic and eye drops to numb your eye, so you will not feel any pain. This also stops your eye from working so you will not be able to see during the procedure.

You may also be given a sedative injection to help you feel relaxed, or you may have a general anaesthetic, where you're asleep during the procedure.

The operation involves removing and replacing either all layers of your cornea, or just the layers that are damaged.

The new cornea comes from someone who's died and donated their cornea. It's checked to make sure it's healthy before it's used.

The main steps of a cornea transplant are:

  1. The surgeon either cuts a small opening in the front part of your eye to remove the inner layer of your cornea, or cuts out a circular area about 1cm across to remove the whole cornea or the outer layers.
  2. The damaged layers of your cornea are removed.
  3. A replacement piece of cornea is put in place.
  4. If you're having just the inner layer of your cornea replaced, the new piece of cornea will be held in place using an air bubble inside your eye.
  5. You'll have some tiny stitches to fix the new piece of cornea into place, or to close the opening.

After the operation

You'll have a patch over your eye after the operation. This can usually be removed the next day.

You'll be given steroid and antibiotic eye drops to use every day.

If you had just the inner layer of your cornea replaced, you may be asked to lie on your back as much as possible for the first 1 or 2 days. This is to help keep the new piece of cornea in the correct position.

The stitches will be left in place for several months, but you should not be able to see or feel them. They'll be gradually removed at your follow-up appointments.

Recovering from a cornea transplant

You may need to take around 2 weeks off work after a cornea transplant.

Your eye should not be too painful, but you may have some swelling, redness and discomfort for up to 2 weeks.

Your vision will take time to improve, and you'll usually still need to wear glasses or contact lenses. How long it takes for your vision to gradually improve depends on the type of cornea transplant. It can take:

  • up to 6 months if you had just the inner layer of your cornea replaced
  • up to 18 months if you had the outer and middle layers replaced
  • up to 2 years if you had your whole cornea replaced

You'll have follow-up appointments in the first week, and then usually every few months for the next 1 or 2 years, or sometimes longer.

Your care team will give you advice on how to care for your eye.

Do

  • take painkillers such as paracetamol if you need them

  • wear the plastic eye shield you're given to protect your eye at night

  • use your eye drops as instructed – you'll need to keep using these long term to reduce the risk of the transplant failing

  • have baths or showers as normal, but be careful not to get water in your eye for at least a month

Don’t

  • do not rub your eye for the first few weeks

  • do not drive until your vision has improved enough to drive legally and your doctor says it's OK

  • do not do contact sports until your doctor says it's OK

  • do not go swimming or wear eye makeup for at least a month

Information:

Find out more about eye conditions and driving from GOV.UK

Possible complications of a cornea transplant

As with any operation, complications can happen during or after a cornea transplant. Your doctor will explain the risks to you before the procedure.

Complications can include:

  • transplant rejection, where your immune system attacks the new cornea – this can happen at any time after the transplant, and can usually be treated with steroids if it's found quickly
  • problems with the new piece of cornea such as it becoming cloudy or getting dislodged – if this happens you may need more surgery
  • astigmatism, where the transplant affects the shape of your eye and your vision – you may need further surgery if glasses are not enough to improve your vision
  • inflammation (uveitis) or pressure (glaucoma) inside your eye – these can usually be treated with eye drops
  • an eye infection, which can usually be treated with antibiotics
  • a detached retina, which will need to be treated with surgery
  • cataracts, which can be removed with surgery

Urgent advice: Call your care team straight away if:

You've had a cornea transplant and you get:

  • a red eye
  • eye pain
  • sensitivity to light
  • blurred vision
  • floaters (dots and lines) that suddenly appear in your vision or suddenly increase in number
  • flashes of light in your vision
  • a dark "curtain" or shadow moving across your vision

These could be signs of a serious complication such as transplant rejection or a detached retina.

If you cannot call your care team then ask for an urgent GP appointment, call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Page last reviewed: 27 May 2025
Next review due: 27 May 2028