This enables him to see the exact thickness of the cornea, find the location of the lens, and identify the best approach for surgery. The technique has been around for 10 years. It is used on adults in just four hospitals in the UK, and this is the first time it has been used on new-born babies. The technique allows Mr Nischal to identify which babies would benefit from an eye transplant and which would not. It greatly improves the chances of a successful operation and also reduces the risk of the graft being rejected.
Babies are more likely to reject a cornea transplant than adults.
The use of the technique in trying to assess how successful the graft is going to be is extremely important and significant. The procedure is normally carried out on newly-born babies who have been born with an opaque cornea. Without a cornea transplant, the infants would have very poor sight or would be unable to see at all. It must be carried out soon after birth because the brain will not learn to see well unless there is visual stimulus within the first six weeks. If the problem is left too long, the child will have limited vision even after the cornea is replaced.