Lasik in 2000, Followed Later by Eye Pain and Retinal Detachment, Fitted with Scleral Lens to Protect Cornea

This patient underwent LASIK surgery on both eyes in 2000. In 2002 he had a 2nd LASIK procedure done on both eyes. In 2004 his left eye suffered a 360 degree retinal detachment which resulted in a complete loss of vision which was not correctable with any additional medical procedures. In early 2014 his left eye gradually became increasingly more painful. In November, 2014 the pain in his left eye became unbearable. For the following 4 or 5 months this patient visited a number of doctors seeking relief from the ocular pain in his left eye. One month ago his left eye was fit with a Prokera lens, which is derived from fetal tissue. The purpose of this lens is to allow a healing process to take place and eliminate pain. While the Prokera lens provided temporary relief, this lens was only able to partially heal the cornea. Please view the 3 images pictured below of this patient’s left eye. The first image to the left is a cross-sectional image of the patient’s left cornea with a scleral lens over it. Note the curved horizontal space going through the upper portion of the cornea. This is the LASIK flap separating from the underlying cornea. The 2 curved lines at the top of this image represent the outer and inner surfaces of the scleral lens. Look carefully and you will note the 2 curved “speed bump”- like lines on the surface of the cornea. This is the outer layer (the epithelium) of the cornea becoming “unglued” or separating from the underlying cornea. The center photo is a digital image of the same cornea using a special dye to better visualize the front surface. The various geometric patterns represent areas of the outer corneal layer separating from the underlying cornea. The lower right photo shows the same irregular “rough” corneal surface. Besides being a blind eye, the entire cornea is severely compromised. The purpose of fitting this eye with a GVR Scleral lens is to protect the cornea from the environment and the blinking action of the eyelids and to keep the cornea in a moist environment. It is our expectation the the scleral lens will allow the outer corneal layer (the epithelium) to “reseat” itself and prevent the further unravelling of this delicate corneal layer. The purpose of all this effort is to eliminate the necessity of removing this eye (enucleation), help the eye regain it’s health and to eliminate the pain this patient has been experiencing for so many months. It is not possible for this eye to regain any type of vision.