Artificial Cornea Program

University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

The University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary's Artificial Cornea Program helps people with severe eye disease or injury for whom traditional corneal transplantation from human donors is not an option. Artificial cornea implantation, called keratoprosthesis, or k-pro, is a procedure designed to help patients whose conditions are the most difficult to treat.

Soledad Cortina, MD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, is the Director of the Artificial Cornea Program, which is the largest program of its kind in the midwest. Dr. Cortina did her Residency at Louisiana State University and her Fellowship in Cornea, External Disease and Refractive Surgery at the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. Dr. Dimitri Azar and Dr. Jose de la Cruz trained under Claes Dohlman MD, the cornea surgeon who developed the procedure.

Learn more about Keratoprosthesis

Read a recent patient story in the Chicago Sun Times

Read a recent patient story in the Chicago Tribune