CORNEAL TRANSPLANTATION — RISKS AND LIMITATIONS

Risks and Limitations
Neither your surgeon nor the surgeon's staff can promise or guarantee that the procedure will be effective or make your vision better than it was before the procedure.

It is possible that the procedure or a complication arising from the procedure could make your vision worse or could injure your cornea or your retina, which could result in partial or total blindness, or could require a cornea transplant.

Certain inflammatory conditions can cause severe post-operative complications such as cornea or flap inflammation, or thinning of the corneal flap, which could result in permanent loss of vision.

In addition, because the procedure is fairly new, very little is known about the long-term effects of the procedure. During your preoperative examination, the likely outcomes (e.g. uncorrected vision) will be conveyed to you based on the level of your particular refractive error.

Although it is not possible to list every potential risk or complication that may result from the procedure, many of them are listed below.

• Under-correction or Over-correction
  
• Halos / Starbursts
  
• Equipment Malfunction
  
• Increased Light Sensitivity of the Eye / Fluctuating Vision
  
• Optical Imbalance
  
• Regression
• Increased Pressure in the Eye
• Fragility on Impact
• Eyelid Droop
• Corneal Ectasia
• Faulty or Improperly Created Flap
• Debris under the Flap or Infection under the Flap
• Diffuse Lamellar Keratitis or "Sands of the Sahara"
• Epithelial Erosion
• Epithelial Ingrowth
• Dry Eyes
• Vascular Occlusion
• Microscopic Corneal Surface Irregularities
• Excessive Corneal Haze
• Elevated IOP (Intraocular Pressure)

Related Information About Corneal Transplantation:

• Surgery Center
• Patient Instructions
• Financial Responsibility
• Financing Options
• Corneal Transplantation Main Page
• Procedures Available Main Page