Over 90 percent of the more than 41,300 cornea transplant operations performed each year successfully restore vision to persons suffering from corneal blindness. The cornea is the cleat surface at the front of the eye and is the main focusing element. Should the cornea become cloudy from disease, injury, infection or any other cause, vision will be drastically reduced. A cornea transplant is the surgical procedure which replaces a disc-shaped segment of an impaired cornea with a similarly shaped piece of a healthy donor cornea. More than 90 percent of cornea transplant operations successfully restore the recipient's vision.
Cornea transplants are the most frequently performed human transplant procedure.
In 1991 there were more cornea transplants than all organ transplants combined. In the last 30 years, more than 500,000 cornea transplants have been performed, restoring sight to men, women and children ranging in age from nine days to 103 years. A cornea transplant is usually performed within three to seven days after donation, depending upon the method of cornea preservation. The surgical removal of the eye tissue is performed soon after the time of death, ensuring the tissue is in the best possible condition for transplant. This also makes sure that the funeral arrangements are not delayed in any way.