EYE SURGERY SCHEDULED FOR FAYE WEDNESDAY

I just could not let Ken have all the attention with his recent surgeries. I’m going to have my own out-patient surgery tomorrow morning, Wednesday, July 29th.

Most of you may know, back in May 2006, I contacted Acanthamoeba Keratitis in my right eye. Ken spent months dispensing eye drops into my eye trying to control the pain and eradicate the microscopic parasites. We finally succeeded, but in the process I had two cornea transplants and a variety of other unusual problems and procedures. Eventually I lost the vision in my right eye.

And, I guess most of you did not know that, as a result of all my eye problems, I (Faye) became a Calendar Girl in 2007. Yes. That’s True! My Ophthalmologist created a 2007 calendar highlighting pictures of his most unique eye cases. I made both January and June!!

Since 2006, I have had been under the constant care of my Ophthalmologist, a cornea specialist, as well as a glaucoma specialist to try to control the pressure in my eye. Recently, I learned that the second cornea transplant is deterating, the pressure in my eye continues to be erratic, and the lens inserted in my eye has moved forward to the point of touching my cornea, probably due to the pressure. Now I need a third cornea transplant along with other intricate procedures. This time, instead of the transplant being “routine”, there will be three specialists involved. This is how the nurse explained it to me.

1) My cornea specialist, will remove my cornea, and remove the lens, and put in a temporary cornea. Since I cannot see out of my right eye anyway, he has decided not replace the lens.

2) Next, a retina specialist will clean out all the clear jelly-like substance in my eye. Everybody has such a mass, but the glaucoma specialist is afraid it might get in the tube he plans to insert and block it. Therefore he lined up the retina specialist to handle the clean out.

3) Then the glaucoma specialist will then insert a tube beside my eye which can be connected in my eye at a later time if the pressure rises too high and needs to drain. He decided not to insert the tube IN my eye for fear the pressure may drop too low.

4) Finally, the cornea specialist will replace the temporary cornea with a cadaver cornea tissue from the Richmond eye bank. The nurse said I was given VIP priority because of the three doctors working together on the case.

The entire out-patient procedure should take about two hours plus recovery time. We certainly do hope this time the cornea transplant works!! Wish me LUCK!!