05-16-2006, 01:37 PM
Well, I'm not sure how many know it, but some do. Anyway, my wife, Dawn is blind. She's been legally blind since birth, and totally blind since she was nine. Just recently, she turned 30, so it's been 21 years of total blindness now, and probably 10 since her last visit to the eye specialist.
She's got one eye missing from birth, which is replaced with a prostesis, and the other eye is very small, missing the lens (they removed it to fix the retina when it detached), has a damaged cornea, and has had the retina detatch on two separate occasions. All in all, not much to work with.
She just went in to the specialist again last week, and they looked her over. They believe that her optic nerves etc. are still working behind the eye, and technology has been chugging along since her last visit. They say they can now manufacture a cornea small enough to do a transplant, and they will probably be able to restore her vision (though to what degree they're not saying).
Dawn's going in on May 22nd for a preliminary surgery to see how the eye is beyond the cornea, and how the area behind the eye is. If it looks like the transplant is likely to take, and she'll benefit from it, then they're all set to give it a go. No idea when that'll happen, but talk about a miracle of science!
I don't know which is more amazing, the fact that they think they can do a transplant and restore her vision, or the fact that they're making the parts to do it rather than looking for a doner. Either way, we're trying not to get too excited, since it may come to nothing, but it's really hard, especially knowing that we want to eventually buy a big sailboat, and sail off into the sunset ... harbors are kinda tricky with your eyes closed after all.
Talk to you all later, off to make dinner.
She's got one eye missing from birth, which is replaced with a prostesis, and the other eye is very small, missing the lens (they removed it to fix the retina when it detached), has a damaged cornea, and has had the retina detatch on two separate occasions. All in all, not much to work with.
She just went in to the specialist again last week, and they looked her over. They believe that her optic nerves etc. are still working behind the eye, and technology has been chugging along since her last visit. They say they can now manufacture a cornea small enough to do a transplant, and they will probably be able to restore her vision (though to what degree they're not saying).
Dawn's going in on May 22nd for a preliminary surgery to see how the eye is beyond the cornea, and how the area behind the eye is. If it looks like the transplant is likely to take, and she'll benefit from it, then they're all set to give it a go. No idea when that'll happen, but talk about a miracle of science!
I don't know which is more amazing, the fact that they think they can do a transplant and restore her vision, or the fact that they're making the parts to do it rather than looking for a doner. Either way, we're trying not to get too excited, since it may come to nothing, but it's really hard, especially knowing that we want to eventually buy a big sailboat, and sail off into the sunset ... harbors are kinda tricky with your eyes closed after all.
Talk to you all later, off to make dinner.