Is light sensitivity normal after a corneal transplant?

What's normal

A healing cornea scatters light, so bright rooms, sunshine, and headlights can feel harsh in the early weeks. Steroid drops, a swollen cornea, and an irritated surface all add to it. Sunglasses and a hat help, and it usually eases as the eye settles.

After DSAEK or DMEK the sensitivity often fades as the cornea clears over the first weeks. After a full thickness graft it can linger longer, partly because of the sutures and the irregular surface.

Usually strongest in the first days to weeks and eases as the cornea clears; any new increase later is a red flag.

When it stops being normal

The Cornea Research Foundation of America defines the S in RSVP as light sensitivity beyond what is typical for you. That comparison is the key: a step up from your own recent baseline is the signal, not the presence of any sensitivity at all.

Light sensitivity together with redness, aching, or blurred vision is a classic rejection pattern and the Academy lists being extra sensitive to light among the warning signs of rejection. Contact your ophthalmologist right away; rejection can often be stopped with medicine if it is caught early.