What is "keratoprosthesis"

n. 1 (context surgery English) A surgical procedure in which a severely damaged or diseased cornea is replaced with an artificial cornea. 2 (context surgery English) The artificial cornea used in this procedure.

Keratoprosthesis is a surgical procedure where a diseased cornea is replaced with an artificial cornea. Traditionally, keratoprosthesis is recommended after a person has had a failure of one or more donor corneal transplants. More recently, a less invasive, non-penetrating artificial cornea has been developed which can be used in more routine cases of corneal blindness. While conventional cornea transplant uses donor tissue for transplant, an artificial cornea is used in the Keratoprosthesis procedure. The surgery is performed to restore vision in patients suffering from severely damaged cornea due to congenital birth defects, infections, injuries and burns.

Keratoprotheses are made of clear plastic with excellent tissue tolerance and optical properties. They vary in design, size and even the implantation techniques may differ across different treatment centers. The procedure is done by ophthalmologists, often on an outpatient basis.

The idea of artificial cornea was first proposed in 1789 by French ophthalmologist Guillaume Pellier de Quengsy.