Cornea transplant

• by donr
• 2019-08-18 01:44:22
• General Posting
• 823 views
• 3 comments

A bit OT - but for anyone interested/involved - Wife of 60+ yrs suffers a genetic problem called "Fuch's Dystrophy."   It's a corneal inherited problem where the rear layer of cornea goes south on you, making the world look to you like it is on the other side of a jellyfish (Wife's descriptiion).   It starts at about 30 years, but does not become a real nuisance till you are about 60. 

Until about 2011, the only solution wa a complete corneal transplant.    Wife was extremely lucky.  A procedure called a DSEK (I think) was developed, where they go inside the eyeball, peel off a 50 Micron (About 50/1000 of an inch thick) layer of cornea off the inside  and replace it w/ a 40 Micron cadaver layer.  Has to be the same layer - that one is special and called a "pump Layer," causing the pumpimg of fluid out through the cornea.  They stitch the eyeball up and inject a bubble of air into the space behinbd the cornea.  You spend three days flat on your back staring at the ceiling.  Then you can get up & act normally. The bubble "Floats" on the fluid, keeping the transpmlant in intimate contact w/ the existing cornea.   After a week, we wemt back for a check up.  Implant was firmly stuck to her native cornea & about 25% functioning as a pump.  Yesterday, she saw the surgeon , who looked at her eye, pushed his stool back. slapped both of his thighs w/ his hands & exclaqimed "FANTASTIC!!!! - Better than I would ever predict.  The transplant is fully functional and clear!~"   Going into surgery,  Wife could barely see through that eye.  Today she can read through it & her vision checked out as 20/20.  Other eye gets done in about 3 months.  Entire procedure was totally painless.  Three days flat on back was a real pill.  She was allowed a potty break once per hour & to sit up to eat.  

ANYONE IN se us WHO HAS THIS & WANTS A REFERRAL TO A SURGEON, pVT mSG ME.

dONR