I have Fuchs' Dystrophy. Fuchs' is an inherited, degenerative eye disease that affects the cornea (skin) of the eye. If untreated, this disease leads to the clouding of the cornea and loss of vision. I first became aware of the problem when I visited my ophthalmologist. I was in my late 40's. He told me I had a clouding of my cornea and prescribed salt drops. As the disease progressed I became more aware of its severe affects.
The cornea has 3 layers. The only layer affected by Fuchs' is the inner or endothelial layer. This layer is one cell thick and is composed of thousands of tiny cells that pump water out of the cornea and keep it clear. Fuchs' causes these cells to get hard and stop pumping, resulting in cloudy/blurred vision. For more than 100 years the standard practice consisted of removing the entire cloudy cornea and replacing it with a full thickness donor cornea.
In December of 2000 I had a full cornea transplant in my Right eye. In that operation the surgeon removed my cornea and replaced it with a new cornea (from a donated eye). It did not go well. When I woke up from the anesthetic, my vision was distorted. My eyes could not both focus on the same spot and I was sent home with an ointment on the wound that caused my eye to swell shut. The next day I had to return to the hospital emergency room to have the ointment replaced with a substance I was not allergic to. In the Fall of 2003 the transplanted cornea came loose and I lost my vision. The surgeon reattached the cornea and since then the transplant has remained in place and is clear. However one of the complications of this surgery is that I have developed Glaucoma. This condition affects the optic nerve and I am losing some of my peripheral vision. I am scheduled for laser surgery later this year to alleviate this problem.
Meanwhile my Left eye continued to lose vision. This Summer I decided to have a cornea transplant operation on my left eye. Today the surgeons do not remove the cornea. The new technique they use to solve this problem is called DSAEK. In this operation the doctor cuts a small slit in the side of the eye. He inserts a device that cuts out the damaged inner layer or endothelial cells and this layer is removed. A donor endothelial layer is wrapped like a burrito and inserted through the slit and is opened up. With a puff of air the transplant is pushed up against the inside of the cornea and it takes the place of the removed layer.
I had this operation done to my Left eye on Thursday, September 24th. According to one of the nurses, the operation took about 20 minutes. I was able to go home, but I had to lay flat on my back for 12 hours. During an appointment the following day, the Dr. said "You did great" and he seemed pleased with the result. After 3 days, my vision improved and I could actually see better than before surgery.. I will need to use eye drops forever, but I am grateful for my improved vision. I can testify that the new DSAEK procedure is a vast improvement over the old full cornea transplant.
So you ask, why am I sharing all this with you? Fuchs' is in to my DNA, so since most of you share some of my genes you may have this condition or are carrying it. My son Andrew, who just turned 50 was recently diagnosed with Fuchs' and will face a similar regimen to the one I have been pursuing. Fuchs' begins to show up when you are in your late 40's. Eye doctors are trained to look for this disease, so I strongly recommend that you get an annual eye exam.
