The cornea has five layers: epithelium, Bowman’s layer, stroma, Descemet’s membrane, and endothelium.
Keratoplasty – A surgical procedure where all or part of a damaged cornea is replaced with a healthy donor cornea.
Penetrating Keratoplasty (PKP) – A cornea transplant surgery where the full-thickness of the cornea is removed and replaced with a healthy donor cornea.
Descemet’s Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty or DSEK – A type of corneal transplant that replaces only the diseased layers of the cornea, rather than the entire cornea as in traditional corneal transplants.
Pterygium – Also known as “Surfer’s Eye”. It is a noncancerous, wedge-shaped growth on the white part of the eye. It may gradually extend onto the cornea and require surgery to remove it. The main causes of a pterygium is long-term exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) light and/ or chronic irritation from hot and dry weather, wind, and dust. Some individuals may not experience any noticeable issues, and others may have itching or burning sensations, mild eye pain, and problems with vision if it extends onto the cornea.
