But the main concern of transplant specialists is to boost the availability of major procedures developed to save lives, or in the case of corneas, to restore sight. If the outer most layers of corneal cells are damaged, it soon regenerates.
Light is prevented from reaching the retina and vision is impeded.
Corneal replacement is the oldest of the transplants, pioneered in Europe in 1905 and first introduced into the UK in the 1930's. Full thickness grafting is carried out under a general anaesthetic and takes about an hour. The patient's own corneal button is removed and a disc cut from the donor cornea is stitched in its place. Also, cornea donors can be of any age. Donated corneas can be kept for up to 30 days, stored by one of two national eye banks or individual hospitals.