On Monday, Feburary 26, I underwent surgery to transplant the cornea and repair a retinal detachment in my right eye. The cornea transplant, my fifth, went very well and I required less retinal surgery than originally expected. The Vitreous was removed, the retina repositioned and lasered back into place. No silicone or other materials needed to be injected into my eye, so the Vitreous will be able to grow back unimpeded.

I am now healing, but there is one concern. When I look out the very right side of my eye, I can see quite clearly. The vision seems to be clearer than I have ever experienced in the past. Unfortunately, I can’t keep my eye in that extreme position for more than about half a second. Otherwise, my central vision seems much more cloudy. The surgeon who performed the cornea transplant portion of the operation says all is going very well, and this issue may be due to the optical characteristics within my eye caused as the cornea changes shape during the healing process. I have seen the cornea specialist three times since surgery. This coming Tuesday I will have a follow up with the retinal specialist, whom I will also consult concerning this issue.

I was able to stay with Jeff and Keri Bishop down in Tucson for almost a week after the surgery. Keri helped me with administering the ointment four times a day as prescribed. Since my return home, Jessye, a junior student at the ASU College of Nursing has been administering the ointment, which has now been decreased to twice per day in the morning and evening. I am thankful to Jeff and Keri, as well as Jessye and the nursing college for their assistance. That’s about all I have to say for now. The pain is very minimal and, overall, my sight is better than it was before the surgery.