Is redness normal after a corneal transplant?

What's normal

The eye has just had surgery, so early redness from irritation, sutures, and drops is common. It usually fades gradually over the first weeks as the surface heals.

Redness that slowly improves, without pain and without a change in vision, generally fits the normal pattern.

Typically fades over the first few weeks; a fresh increase at any time, even years later, is a rejection warning sign.

When it stops being normal

The Cornea Research Foundation of America lists redness as the R in RSVP, noting graft rejection may present with a red eye, and the Academy lists redness of the eye among the warning signs of rejection. If the eye gets redder after it had settled, that is the pattern to act on.

Redness with pain, discharge, blurred vision, or increasing light sensitivity can also point to infection, which is a genuine emergency in an eye with a graft and stitches. Call your ophthalmologist right away; do not wait to see if it passes.