|
Corneal
Transplant (full-thickness
and DSEK)
Preoperative Visit: During the preoperative visit, you will make 2 or 3 separate stops, depending on whether a lens will be implanted in your eye at the time of the corneal transplantation. Please allow several hours to complete all of these appointments.
First Stop: Cornea Clinic in the Doris Stein Building for a pre-operative appointment with Dr. Aldave. During this visit, Dr. Aldave will discuss the planned procedure and you will have the opportunity to have all of your questions answered prior to deciding whether to sign the Surgery Consent Forms.
Second Stop: Anesthesia department in the Jules Stein Building where your completed History and Physical Examination form will be reviewed.
Third Stop: Only if a lens will be implanted in your eye at the time of the corneal transplant do you need to make this stop.
Ultrasound Laboratory in the Jules Stein Building where lens calculations will be performed to determine the power of the intraocular lens implant to be used. If you wear contact lenses, you should keep them out prior to this visit. Soft contact lenses need to be out for 3 days. Rigid gas permeable (RGP) and other hard contact lenses need to be out for 3 weeks.
Day Before Surgery: You must call the operating room at the Jules Stein Eye Institute between 1 and 3 pm to find out your arrival time. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight. Do not wear a contact lens in the eye having surgery for the 24 hours preceding surgery.
Operating Room: (310) 825-5031
Day of Surgery: Report to the A-level of the Jules Stein building. You may take your usual medications with a small sip of water if instructed by the pre-anesthesia staff. If you normally take insulin or other diabetes medication in the morning, do not take it the day of surgery. Wear comfortable clothing. Do not wear make-up or jewelry. Plan to be at the hospital about 4 hours. A responsible person must drive you home from surgery. By hospital accreditation guidelines, you cannot take a taxi home from the hospital unless a responsible adult accompanies you.
After Surgery: Carefully follow the Corneal Transplant Surgery Postoperative Instructions. If you had topical anesthesia, you will be able to see from your eye immediately although your vision will probably be blurry. If you had injection anesthesia, your eye will be patched. Either way, your eye may feel sore, scratchy or irritated for 8 to 10 hours after the anesthesia wears off. Feel free to take Tylenol, aspirin, Advil, or whatever you would take for a headache if your eye hurts. You will return for a postoperative examination the day after surgery.
|
