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I Anticipate Many More Great Days as I Heal

Corneal transplant and the stitches (By Melissa Lamont Gordon)

Diagnosed at age 20. I've worn hard, gas perm and soft contacts until my eyes rejected them about 10 years ago. Disease progressed in left eye to the point that my optometrist suggested I see a surgeon. I did, (in fact the same surgeon who performed my mom's penetrating keratoplasty 20 years ago) and learned I was a candidate for Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK).

Had DALK on March 23, wore a patch for a week, and went back to the surgeon on the 30th. I saw the top of the eye chart for the first time in 20 years AND saw 20/60 thru pinholes. The surgeon thinks I am well on the way to an excellent result, and I'm not going to see him again until May.

The surgery was quite the light show, and I felt him pull on the last little bit of cornea to straighten it. It hurt for the next few days, and the patch drove me nuts. Yesterday I was sleep deprived and it hurt, but today has been a great day.

I anticipate many more great days as I heal.

One more anecdote... I was outside in my yard Thursday when I realized I could actually see some grape hyacinth flowers behind my fence. I planted them years ago and was never able to see if the bulbs came up. A great sign, I think.

Update May 22, 2015:  Had my 2 month check up Wednesday and although he didn't remove any stitches (bummer), he did say that I will most likely achieve PERFECT VISION, within the next year. Needless to say,  I am thrilled. :)

The above story was shared by Melissa Lamont Gordon, a member of our Facebook keratoconus community.

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