Corneal Transplants

The clear window in the front of the eye is called the cornea. If the cornea becomes cloudy, part or all of the cornea may need to be replaced and this is normally called a corneal transplant. Valley Eye Associates not only provides a complete corneal transplant program, but we are also the only practice in the Fox Valley with a fellowship-trained corneal specialist on staff.

Throughout his career, Dr. Michael Vrabec has been a leader dedicated to corneal surgery innovation. After completing a fellowship in corneal transplantation at the University of Iowa, he directed the corneal transplant and refractive surgery program at the University of Vermont. Since then, he has continued to innovate and provide the most technologically-advanced corneal treatments available.

Valley Eye Associates offers three types of corneal transplants:

Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK)

DSAEK is a partial thickness cornea transplant procedure used to treat corneal edema for conditions such as Fuchs dystrophy and other endothelial dystrophies.

Descemet’s Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK)

DMEK is a partial thickness cornea transplant procedure with many similarities to DSAEK. DMEK differs from DSAEK in that the donor tissue is thinner.

Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK)

PK is a full thickness transplant procedure used in cases of stromal scarring, corneal ectasia (warpage), and corneal ulcerations or perforations.

To learn more, please call us at (800) 344‑4443 or fill out our contact form and someone from our office will contact you shortly.