The cornea is the clear disc at the front of the eye. It allows light to enter the eyeball and protects the inside of the eye from environmental influences. Another function is the refraction of light, which enables sharp vision. Diseases of the cornea can significantly impair vision.

Such diseases include, for example

• Swelling and clouding of the cornea
• Complications following cataract surgery
• Infections of the cornea
• Rare corneal dystrophies such as Fuchs endothelial dystrophy
• corneal degeneration
• Corneal scars and injuries (occupational accidents)
• allergies
• keratoconus
• Contact lens-related complications
• Dry eyes
• wing fur
• and many others...

A particular focus of this consultation is the treatment of difficult-to-treat and sight-impairing corneal diseases such as severe corneal infections, viral diseases and severe cases of ocular surface diseases.

Our cornea specialists are specialised in the treatment of corneal diseases and have international experience in this field. In addition to their clinical work, they also drive forward research in the field of corneal diseases. This helps us not only to keep up with the latest medical developments, but also to provide you with state-of-the-art medical advice, treatment and - if necessary - surgery.

The classic methods of ophthalmological examination are, of course, also carried out by us as standard. These include, for example, questioning about signs of illness and examination with a slit lamp. The information obtained is often sufficient to enable personalised advice and treatment. As a large ophthalmological centre, the university also offers numerous other examination methods.

These are state of the art and enable high-resolution and in some cases more informative visualisation of the affected tissue to examine impaired visual function. These devices include, for example

• Topography of the cornea
• Pentacam corneal and anterior segment tomography
• OCT corneal and anterior segment tomography
• Endothelial microscopy
• Ultrasound biomicroscopy
• Laser diagnostics
• Retinometer
• Optical and ultrasound biometry
• Photo documentation
• and others...

Many diseases of the anterior segment of the eye can be treated without surgery (conservatively), some only need to be observed and do not require treatment. Depending on the disease, the following methods are available:

• Contact lens treatment (also for complicated corneal surfaces)
• Eye drops, tablets, injections, infusions
• Fitting of visual aids
• Inclusion in studies for rare diseases

If conservative treatment methods are not sufficient, surgical procedures can be used to improve vision in some diseases. For example, there are various corneal transplant procedures in which damaged or cloudy corneal tissue is removed and replaced. We will decide which procedure is right for you after a comprehensive examination in our outpatient clinic. This enables us to offer you the most effective procedure for your individual condition. The surgical spectrum includes

• Crosslinking (CXL) - cross-linking of the corneal connective tissue
• Lamellar keratoplasty (e.g. DMEK) - partial transplantation of the cornea
• Perforating keratoplasty - transplantation of the entire cornea
• Transplantation of an amniotic membrane
• Keratectomy - removal of diseased corneal tissue
• Pterygium excision - removal of a wing membrane
• Reconstruction of the ocular surface after a chemical burn, injury or burn
• Cataract surgery - treatment of cataracts
• Correction of visual impairment and presbyopia
• Laser surgery
• and others...

The cornea is the transparent surface of the eye. Its transparency and integrity is a prerequisite for vision. Injuries, infections or other diseases can impair the function of the cornea. Patients of all ages can become blind or severely visually impaired as a result, so that they are restricted in their lifestyle and dependent on assistance.

Corneal transplantation

One possible treatment for corneal diseases is transplantation, which is carried out at the University Eye Hospital under the direction of Professor Wolf. Corneas have been transplanted for over 100 years, making this transplant the oldest form of organ transplantation. Depending on the underlying disease, a transplantation of the entire cornea (penetrating keratoplasty) or only a lamella of the cornea, as in descemet endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), can be performed. These operations show good results. They can achieve an improvement in visual acuity. The prerequisite for a transplant is a corneal donation.

Who can be a donor?

Almost anyone can become a corneal donor after their death, as only a few diseases preclude donation. People who wear glasses or contact lenses, people with eye diseases, after operations on the eyes or with systemic diseases can also become donors. Even the advanced age of a donor does not reduce the quality of the cornea. When completing an organ donor card, you can choose to have all organs removed in the event of death or just individual organs or tissue, such as the cornea. If the deceased does not have an organ donor card, the next of kin can decide in the deceased's favour whether they would have agreed to a donation during their lifetime.

Cornea donation

Unlike organs such as the heart, kidney or liver, corneas can be removed up to 72 hours after the death of a donor. If there is no medical reason not to donate, the cornea is removed under sterile conditions if consent has been given. This is carried out reverently and gently by specially trained medical staff at our clinic. The removal is aesthetically inconspicuous from the outside so that the face is hardly noticeable afterwards. The corneas are then comprehensively analysed in the tissue and cell bank of the Institute for Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics Ulm (IKT) and tested for quality and safety. This guarantees a high quality of tissue with maximum patient safety. For the recipients of corneas, transplantation is an opportunity to regain good vision and thus greatly improve their quality of life.