Rare Eye Surgery Saves Woman's Eyesight

Doctors performed a rare surgery on a woman to help save her eyesight. The woman has been experiencing unusually low pressure in her eyes. Over time, this low pressure has damaged her eye sight, and she has almost become blind.

In order to increase the pressure in her eyes, doctors inserted a pump into her abdomen. This pump transports fluid to her eyes so that they will stay inflated. The woman's eye surgeon received mixed reactions from colleagues when this unusual surgery was proposed. However, it seems to have been a success.

Once her eye pressure returns to normal, she will most likely receive a corneal transplant to improve her vision. A corneal transplant is a procedure that replaces the damaged part of your cornea with corneal tissue provided by a donor.

This procedure, also called a keratoplasty, is very common. Approximately 40,000 corneal transplants are performed every year in the United States. For many patients with damaged corneas, this procedure is instrumental in restoring lost vision. Corneal transplants are also performed to treat the following conditions:

• Thinning of the cornea
  
• Corneal scarring
  
• Clouding of the cornea
  
• Swelling of the cornea
  
• Complications caused by a previous eye surgery
  

You can use the links at the bottom of the page to find a qualified ophthalmologist in your area.