Ross Hall Clinic Braehead
Kings Inch Place, Renfrew, Glasgow, PA4 8WF DirectionsPhone
Opening hours
Mon - Sun 8am - 9pm
Car parking
Free parking on-site
4 electric vehicle charging stations
We offer patients treatments for corneal issues at Eye Care Scotland. Your cornea is designed to protect your eye and its components from dirt. Further to this, your cornea plays a vital role in the function of your vision. Disease, infection, injury and the resulting scars can also interfere with your vision by blocking or distorting the light entering your eye. Corneal surgery is required if your cornea becomes damaged and results in problems with your vision.
Your cornea is the clear, front part of your eye. It is formed of a number of layers of cells which aid in focussing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The information then travels down your optic nerve to your brain where it is converted into the images we see.
If your cornea is damaged, you can encounter problems with your vision. Occasionally, you may require a corneal transplant if your cornea needs to be replaced. You may also require corneal surgery if you suffer from a corneal disease – this includes a variety of conditions including infections, degenerations, and others disorders which can be hereditary. Our Specialist Ophthalmologists will assess your condition to better understand your problem/s and recommend the appropriate treatment plan.
There are numerous corneal surgery options we offer patients at Eye Care Scotland dependent on your individual circumstances.
Corneal Transplant Surgery
Corneal transplant surgery is required to remove all or part of your damaged cornea to replace it with healthy donor tissue. This is also known as corneal graft surgery. Your Consultant Ophthalmologist may recommend you undergo corneal transplant surgery if your cornea becomes damaged either through injury or disease. The goal of corneal transplant surgery is to restore vision, reduce pain and improve appearance of the damaged cornea.
You may require a corneal transplant for a variety of reasons. One of which is Keratoconus - a condition where your cornea becomes cone shaped. Others include thinning, swelling, clouding, and tearing of the cornea. Corneal scarring from disease, infection or injury, corneal ulcers (keratitis), Fuchs dystrophy, endothelial decompensation, and complications of previous eye surgery are all additional reasons you may require corneal transplant surgery.
Your Consultant Ophthalmologist will perform this surgery under general anaesthetic and it often takes around 1-2 hours.
There are several types of corneal transplant surgery relevant to the type of procedure you require and how much of your cornea is damaged/which part of your cornea needs replaced. Some are carried out to replace the entire cornea and replace it with healthy tissue, whilst others only remove the damaged section and replace it with healthy tissue.
The different forms of corneal transplant surgery offered at Eye Care Scotland include penetrating keratoplasty (PK), deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and endothelial keratoplasty (EK).
Penetrating keratoplasty (PK) is a full-thickness transplant procedure carried out to replace your entire cornea. Your Consultant Ophthalmologist will use a specially designed tool to remove your cornea and replace it with one from a donor, before stitching it in place. Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) is a partial-thickness transplant procedure undertaken to replace the middle and outer layers of the cornea with donor tissue, again before stitching in place.
There are two types of endothelial keratoplasty (EK) – Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). With both of these types of procedures, diseased tissue is removed from the innermost layer of the cornea and replaced with donor tissue. DSAEK uses a thicker layer of donor tissue whilst DMEK uses a thinner type. Different to PK and DALK, this type of surgery does not use stitches; instead the transplanted cornea is held in place with an air bubble.
Corneal (Collagen) Cross Linking
Corneal cross linking is the sole treatment option suitable to stop the progression of keratoconus from worsening. Keratoconus is when the cornea thins and gets weaker over time. This makes your cornea begin to bulge into a cone shape, distorting your vision and making it hard for you to see. If the symptoms of your keratoconus become severe, you will require a corneal transplant.
During corneal cross linking, your Consultant Ophthalmologist uses a specially formulated riboflavin (vitamin B2) eyedrop medication in your eye, allowing your cornea to better absorb the light. The process for this takes around 30 minutes whilst the drops soak into your cornea. From here, UB light from a special machine is used to make the tissue in your cornea stronger, with the goal of the surgery to stop your cornea from bulging more. The term ‘cross linking’ refers to the bonds being added between the collagen fibres in your eye, working as ‘support beams’ to ensure your cornea remains stable. Overall, corneal cross linking is around a 60-90 minute procedure.
After corneal cross linking, you may find you are more sensitive to light and even have poorer vision for the first 1-3 months. Whilst the goal of your procedure is to slow down your keratoconus disease and prevent future vision problems, in some cases the procedure enables your eyesight to actually get better over time. You may also need new glasses or contact lenses after your procedure.
PTK (Phototherapeutic Keratectomy)
Phototherapeutic Keratectomy (PTK) can be used to treat a variety of eye disorders, including recurrent corneal erosions. The goal of PTK is not to eliminate the need for glasses or improve your vision – it is to treat surface-level corneal disease. PTK is fundamentally different to both LASIK and LASEK for these very reasons. There are numerous benefits of having PTK at Eye Care Scotland – this is a short procedure which does not require stitches, and is suitable for patients with conditions such as dry eyes and thin corneas.
PTK surgery is a short procedure. Your Consultant Ophthalmologist will numb your eye before separating the cells using an alcohol solution and a laser, removing a small piece of corneal tissue at a time. Once the cornea is appropriately reshaped, the surface cells are then gently repositioned in place.
Excimer Laser Surgery
Excimer laser surgery, also known as photo refractive keratectomy (PRK), is a surgical procedure which uses a laser to reshape your cornea. Whether you are shortsighted (myopic) or longsighted (hyperopic), or have an astigmatism, you are eligible for this surgery.
During PRK surgery, your Consultant Ophthalmologist uses an excimer laser to reshape your cornea and in turn correct any refractive errors affecting your vision. This procedure is often recommended to those who have thinner corneas, or who are not eligible for other forms of laser eye surgery such as LASIK.
During your PRK procedure, your Consultant Ophthalmologist will remove the thin outer layer of cells on your cornea before using the excimer laser to reshape your cornea. This allows it to focus light more accurately and is programmed based on your specific prescription. The procedure takes around 15 minutes per eye and is carried out under local anaesthetic.
Pterygium Surgery
A pterygium is a raised, triangular-shaped growth of the conjunctiva tissue – the mucus membrane covering the front of your eye. This type of lesion sits on the surface of your eyeball. During the procedure for this, the lesion is removed from the surface of your eye before a piece of skin is taken from beneath your eyelid to fill the area where the pterygium was removed.
At your initial consultation with us at Eye Care Scotland, your Consultant Ophthalmologist will discuss with you a range of diagnostic tests and scans that we may need to carry out. These include:
- Pentacam
- Intraocular pressure check
- Optometrist assessment including visual acuity test
After these tests and scans are complete, your Consultant Ophthalmologist will then outline a personalised patient pathway plan for you, discussing your options regarding corneal treatment. Each option will be presented and explained in depth in coming to the most appropriate corneal treatment plan for you.
Prices for corneal surgery start from:
- Corneal Cross Linking – £3,165
- Corneal Transplant (GA) – £5,944
- Photo Therapeutic Keratectomy (PTK) – £2,070
We also offer flexible finance through our dedicated finance provider, Chrysalis Finance. Patients have the ability to spread the cost of their treatment over up to 5 years. If patients choose to spread the cost over 10 months, then these payments will be interest free. Should patients choose to pay over a period of 12 - 60 months, 14.9% APR will apply. To find out more about our flexible finance, please visit here.
*All prices are per eye and based on treatment under local anaesthetic unless stated otherwise. These are just guide prices and will differ from person to person because our treatment packages are all personalised. For more information, give us a call.
Our consultants are supported by a full clinical team of optometrists, orthoptists, ophthalmic nurses and ophthalmic practitioners - all of whom play a vital part in ensuring patients are well informed and cared for throughout their journey.
Our entire patient pathway takes place within a clinical environment, and we work to the highest standard of governance whilst following stringent processes to ensure quality outcomes for patients.
With enhanced patient pathways and streamlined consultation-to-treatment journeys at the heart of Eye Care Scotland at Ross Hall Clinic Braehead you can be confident in receiving the highest levels of care throughout your whole journey with us - from diagnoses to treatment and right through to your recovery.
