Rare Cornea Implant

A rare cornea implant conducted at Schneider Children's in a 3-month-old infant saved his only eye from blindness.

The child was referred to to the Cornea Clinic in the Ophthalmology Unit at Schneider Children's when he was just two weeks old. He was suffering from a rare condition called anophthalmia, where the left eye orbit does not develop and with diffuse corneal opacity in the right eye, also a rare occurance called Peters' Anomaly. In addition, microcornea was present in his right eye with an abnormally small cornea that hampers a corneal implant.

In spite of the complex situation and the difficult medical anatomy facing doctors, they decided to intervene to try and save the infant's sight in his only eye. It was vital to conduct the surgery as soon as possible since any delay could lead to irreparable damage of vision. The diagnosis, operation and follow-up care was performed by Dr. Uri Elbaz, a corneal specialist in the Ophthalmology Unit at Schneider Children's headed by Prof. Gad Dotan. The surgery was a complete success.

Today, some months after the corneal implant, the infant's sight is continuing to improve. He is able to function better, smile at his mother and identify objects around him, something he would not have been able to do without the implant.

Dr Elbaz noted that "the operation was complicated due to the size of the infant's eye and the necessity to alter standard surgical technique. Today, the infant is recovering well with the transparent graft, and the intraocular pressure is almost normal. At such a young age, the chances of graft rejection are greater than in adults, and therefore he requires frequent check-ups to prevent and treat any possible complications in the future. He is now 10-months-old, and his implant looks very good and allows him to see and function satisfactorily."