Corneal Transplants in Kenya
A cornea transplant is an operation to remove all or part of a damaged cornea and replace it with healthy donor tissue. It can be used to improve sight, relieve pain and treat severe infection or damage.
It is estimated that 75,000 people need corneal transplant in the country. Although we have over 1,200 documented patients awaiting corneal transplantation, the country only recorded about 400 corneal transplant procedures in 2021. These were performed by a pool of surgeons from different hospitals among them Lighthouse for Christ Eye Centre in Mombasa. These eye hospitals largely depend on importing cornea from countries like the United States (US) to supplement the little that is locally available
Cornea Donation
There is a shortage of donated corneas in Kenya. Many more people would benefit from sight-saving surgery if more corneas were donated. Register as a donor.
History of Corneal Transplants at Lighthouse
Our cornea clinic has been performing corneal transplants for more than 20 years, initially performed by visiting cornea specialists from the US. Currently, there is a trained local cornea surgeon who undertakes corneal transplant surgeries regularly.
Like many other eye hospitals in the region, Lighthouse relies on tissues from abroad for corrective surgeries to restore corneal blindness or recover lost vision due to defective corneas. This model is however not sustainable. We believe the cost of a corneal transplant would significantly go down if the tissues were harvested in the country.
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Phone Number
0733226179
Our Location
P.O BOX 81465-80100, Mombasa
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