{"id":1952,"date":"2026-10-20T08:54:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/keratoconus-cornea\/corneal-transplant-success-rates-and-recovery\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:59:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:59:06","slug":"corneal-transplant-success-rates-and-recovery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/keratoconus-cornea\/corneal-transplant-success-rates-and-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Corneal Transplant Success Rate and Recovery: What the Evidence Shows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  4. Corneal Transplant Success Rate and Recovery: What the Evidence Shows<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Corneal Transplant Success Rate and Recovery: What the Evidence Shows<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \"Close-up<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    The corneal transplant success rate is high when the eye is otherwise healthy. For keratoconus, a 2023 study of 502 eyes found that 97.0% of grafts after DALK and 94.9% after full-thickness transplant (PK) were still working 20 years later. Rejection, the main risk, is least likely after partial-thickness surgery. Vision recovers in stages over 6 months to 2 years, depending on the technique. At Laser Istanbul Clinic, cornea specialist Do\u00e7. Dr. (Associate Professor) Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer plans and follows your transplant.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    What is the corneal transplant success rate?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    Most corneal transplants succeed, but “success” means two things: the graft keeps working (graft survival) and you see well enough to benefit (visual outcome).<\/strong> Studies report both, and they do not always move together. A clear graft with a lot of astigmatism can still need glasses or a contact lens, and a graft that sees well for years can still fail slowly.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    A review in Clinical Ophthalmology<\/em> (2022) gives these typical figures for the four main operations. They are ranges from published series, mostly in mixed groups of patients, so they are a guide and not a promise for your eye.<\/p>

    <\/th>PK<\/strong> (full thickness)<\/th>DALK<\/strong> (front and middle layers)<\/th>DSAEK<\/strong> (inner layer plus a thin layer of support tissue)<\/th>DMEK<\/strong> (inner layer only)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    What is replaced<\/th>The whole cornea, held with stitches<\/td>Front and middle layers; your own inner layer stays<\/td>The endothelium (inner pump layer) with some support tissue<\/td>The endothelium and its membrane only<\/td><\/tr>
    Graft survival<\/th>98% at 2 years; 90% at 5 years; 60\u201380% at 10 years (mixed diagnoses). In keratoconus: 98% at 2 years and 89% at 10 years<\/td>93.9% at 10 years (mixed diagnoses); 90.0\u201390.4% at 5 years in keratoconus<\/td>78.4\u201394.2% at 5 years (mixed diagnoses); 97% at 5 and 92% at 10 years in Fuchs’ dystrophy<\/td>90.0\u201397.4% at 5 years (mixed diagnoses)<\/td><\/tr>
    Rejection rate<\/th>21\u201331%<\/td>0.8\u201310.9%<\/td>2.2\u20137.9%<\/td>0.1\u20135%<\/td><\/tr>
    Speed of visual recovery<\/th>Slowest<\/td>Intermediate<\/td>Faster than PK<\/td>Fastest<\/td><\/tr>
    Share of UK transplants, 2019\u201320<\/th>27.0%<\/td>9.3%<\/td>33.0%<\/td>23.1%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

    Source: Liu, Wong and Walkden, Clinical Ophthalmology 2022 (see Sources). DMEK became the most common transplant in Germany from 2016 and made up 65% of all keratoplasties there in 2021, up from 34% in 2013 (Flockerzi et al., British Journal of Ophthalmology 2024).<\/p>

    What this means for you:<\/strong> the technique is chosen for the disease, not for the headline number. Which corneal layer is diseased decides which operation is possible, and your surgeon should explain why one technique suits your eye better than another.<\/p><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    How successful is a corneal transplant for keratoconus?<\/h2><\/div>

    Very successful: keratoconus is classed as a low-risk reason for a transplant.<\/strong> A 2019 review in Transplantation<\/em> reports that first transplants in keratoconus survive 95% at 4 years and 92% at 5 years.<\/p>\n

    The best long-term evidence comes from a 2023 British Journal of Ophthalmology<\/em> study of 502 keratoconus eyes (228 DALK, 274 PK) by Borderie and colleagues:<\/p>\n