Major complications of the operation itself are rare, but when they occur they can threaten sight or even possibly cause the loss of the eye. They include bleeding within the eye and infection entering the eye. They may require further operations if they occur. Disease transmission is a possible complication of any transplant - in other words, the recipient could possibly catch a disease from the donor. The risk of catching such a disease is unknown, but likely to be small.
Rejection is a major complication, which can affect any transplant.
It happens when your body detects that a piece of tissue from another person has been put into you, and your immune system then tries to destroy it. About one in seven patients who have a corneal graft will have a rejection attack at some stage, although some patients are at a much greater risk than others. Rejection can start as soon as two weeks after a graft, but is commonest several months afterwards, and may occur years later. The quicker rejection is diagnosed, the better the chance of recovery. If your eye gets red, watery or gritty, and develops cloudiness of the vision, then rejection may be the cause and you are advised to attend your eye casualty department immediately .