After corneal endothelial transplantation: what should I do if my eyes are uncomfortable?

  Dry eyes, red eyes, and swollen eyes are common symptoms that many patients experience after corneal endothelial transplantation. Are these symptoms normal after surgery or are they the result of something else?  Let’s talk about dry eyes first. Dry eyes are caused by the fact that when the corneal endothelium is sick, the epithelial layer on the surface of the cornea is also affected, such as the appearance of large epithelial blisters. Moreover, after corneal endothelial transplantation, the eye drops used for a long time contain preservatives, which also increase the damage to the eye surface and aggravate the symptoms of dry eyes; the number of times patients move their eyes after surgery also decreases, so that the tears cannot better moisten the whole surface of the eye, leading to dry eyes; plus some patients have improved vision after surgery and suddenly overuse their eyes, which aggravates the dryness of eyes. Such patients are suggested to use some artificial tears appropriately, which can relieve dry eyes and repair the corneal epithelium at the same time, and also to develop a good eye habit.  Eye redness is actually post-surgical eye congestion, which is generally able to basically fade in about two months for patients after simple corneal endothelial transplantation. However, each patient’s condition and body type are different, so there is some variation. Some patients with combined keratitis may still have some differences from normal eyes.  Finally, let’s talk about eye swelling. Many patients think that eye swelling is an increase in eye pressure and immediately run to the hospital to have their eye pressure measured, but this is not necessarily the case. In general, eye swelling is often caused by eye fatigue, even if the vision of both eyes is very good after surgery, watching TV for a long time will cause visual fatigue, if it can be relieved after proper rest, there is no need to worry too much.  If the eye swelling is caused by glaucoma, it is usually noticeable only when the eye pressure is very high, and most high eye pressure has no symptoms. However, if a patient has a history of glaucoma, he or she needs to have his or her eye pressure measured regularly, and in time there are no symptoms at all, usually once a month at the longest.