Patient Stories

Karla was born with Moebius Syndrome, a rare neurological condition that restricts facial movement due to underdeveloped facial nerves. As a result of her condition, Karla is unable to blink naturally, which leaves her eyes continuously exposed and leads to severe dryness. In March 2023, her optometrist recommended that she consider PROSE treatment. Karla and her husband traveled to Houston, TX, to consult with PROSE Provider Dr. Christina Abuata at the Alkek Eye Center. Within a week, Karla received the lenses that would “transform her life.” “Part of the miracle for me was having corrected vision without my glasses,” Karla shared. With her new lenses, she can engage in activities without concern. She enjoys spending time outdoors and now has no difficulties in dry environments, such as during flights. Prior to PROSE, Karla spent her days and nights constantly applying various eye drops and ointments just to find relief from the air exposure. Karla encourages others embarking on PROSE treatment to, “Be Bold. Be Encouraged.” “I cannot express enough… this is a fantastic, fantastic invention! You can put something in your eyes that you never thought possible. It’s remarkable.” This video is published with permission.

Meet Marcia. This story and video are published with permission. Marcia, an interior designer, shares her journey with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, a rare skin and mucous membrane disorder. SJS is a serious condition that requires hospitalization. The condition can cause severe eye damage, specifically the conjunctiva, cornea, and ocular structures, leading to long-term vision issues such as chronic dryness, redness, sensitivity to light, or even blindness. DONATE TODAY

Meet Kinney. This story and video are published with permission. Kinney, a Bible professor and preacher, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) around 2000 and later with Sjögren's syndrome. It was a long journey. Reflecting on this period, Kinney recalls, “From the time I got RA till the time they said I had Sjögren's, it was almost three years.” Sjögren's syndrome is an immune system disorder that can accompany other immune system disorders, such as RA and lupus. It most often occurs in adults over age 40. The mucous membranes and moisture-secreting glands of the eyes and mouth are usually affected first — resulting in decreased tears and saliva. (Source: Mayo Clinic ) Initial Symptoms and Struggles The ocular symptoms associated with Sjögren's syndrome began to significantly impact Kinney's life. “When I would read, my eyes would lock on my close vision, and I couldn't see far away,” he explained. Over time, his eyes worsened, leading to extreme pain and deteriorating vision, eventually forcing him to stop driving. Despite consulting various eye doctors in Abilene, Texas, and later in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, he found little relief. The prescribed treatments, including Restasis and eye drops made from his blood serum, also known as serum tears, offered minimal help. Even punctal cauterization of tear ducts provided no relief. Turning Point: Discovery of PROSE During a visit to an eye doctor in the Dallas-Fort Worth area “just as I was walking out the door of his office," the doctor said, ‘'You might [...]

Meet Joan. Her story and video are published with permission. Joan, a graphic designer, spent countless hours in front of a computer screen, a necessity for her profession but a strain on her eyes. After undergoing Zyoptic LASIK surgery in her twenties to correct astigmatism, she enjoyed clear vision until the effects gradually wore off due to natural aging. About a decade ago, she underwent a superficial keratectomy, also known as corneal scraping, to remove diseased cells from the surface of her corneas, which was caused by corneal scarring. Although keratectomy did not improve her astigmatism it allowed her to see more clearly, as if she had removed a pair of dirty glasses. Finding scleral lenses As her eyesight continued to deteriorate, she desired a Zyoptic LASIK touch-up but learned she was no longer a suitable candidate. While in search of alternatives to glasses, she found herself also grappling with severe dry eye, which has worsened in recent years. “I would wake up at night in pain, with my eyelid stuck to my eye, making standard contact lenses an impossibility,” Joan says. Her journey took a hopeful turn when Dr. Beth Kohn, an optometrist in Salem, New Hampshire, recommended scleral lenses. She felt Joan would see better and be more comfortable with them, thus she referred her to PROSE (Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem). PROSE treatment uses prosthetic scleral lens devices customized to the individual’s eye to promote visual acuity, address dry eye, and improve comfort. It is [...]

Bob Taffet began his journey toward PROSE® in 1972, as a young musician just beginning his professional career as a classical bass violinist. He had trouble reading music, so he made an appointment with his ophthalmologist who diagnosed astigmatism. Bob received a prescription for eyeglasses. Unfortunately, the eyeglasses didn’t help at all. He went to Dr. Charles Pereira, an ophthalmologist at Columbia Presbyterian, who had worked with him as a child to correct his strabismus. Dr. Pereira immediately diagnosed Bob with keratoconus – a progressive condition where the cornea thins and bulges, often into a conical shape. He had keratoconus in both eyes, with the left eye more pronounced. He explained that keratoconus can remain mild but also could become progressively worse. “The distance at which orchestra bass players need to be able to read tiny print on music sheet requires near fighter pilot vision which I no longer had. The thought that I might have to give up my dream of becoming a performing musician was deeply depressing,” he says. RGPs for Keratoconus Treatment The treatment at that time was to wear rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses, as these effectively “resurface” the cornea by presenting a symmetrical shape to the outside of the eye and have a prescription that corrects the astigmatism. Dr. Pereira sent Bob to a colleague who was skilled at measuring and dispensing RGP lenses for keratoconus patients. Bob was told if the condition progressed to the point that he could no longer tolerate the [...]

Alexandra's story is complex and underscores how important PROSE treatment is for those suffering from severe ocular surface disease.  Her story outlines how PROSE treatment is more than a scleral lens - it is a co-managed treatment between her PROSE provider and her other healthcare providers. “I’m extremely grateful PROSE exists.  I don’t know if many optometrists know enough about PROSE and how the lenses can be adjusted at more angles.” “Before PROSE, I couldn’t even read.  Every 10 minutes I was putting eye drops in my eyes. I had what looked like chronic conjunctivitis,” says Alexandra Schalekamp. “My eyes felt gritty and like I had something in them all the time.” Getting a diagnosis Her local optometrist tried a few commercial dry eye treatments, but nothing worked to relieve the discomfort. Alexandra spent 3 years seeing doctor after doctor before finding dry eye specialist, Dr. Steven Maskin, in Tampa, Florida.  Although up to 90 minutes away from her home in Orlando, she went to see him, needing answers. Dr. Maskin ordered an MRI of her lacrimal glands, which showed that her glands were “shriveled up like raisins and scarred.”  His exam revealed a diagnosis, finally: ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP). Cicatricial pemphigoid is a rare chronic autoimmune subepithelial blistering disease that causes erosive lesions of the mucous membranes and skin. OCP is even rarer and can result in severe dry eye and excessive scar tissue on the conjunctiva, known as conjunctival fibrosis or conjunctival keloid. Up to 30% of patients [...]

The child of an army officer and later an Air Force officer’s wife, Loni Smith has moved 49 times in her life. She is used to change, making new friends, finding new doctors. But one unexpected change led to a life-long quest for better vision--keratoconus, a progressive thinning of the cornea that can cause the cornea to bulge into a conical shape, refracting light incorrectly and causing higher order aberrations, such as double vision. Loni has spent her life making things, starting at age 5. She had always done something with her hands, such as knitting and sewing, and she has a bachelor’s degree in textiles and clothing. Her first craft book was published in 1970, and she wrote 11 more books in the following years. In between moves, Loni started teaching part-time adult education classes. But with keratoconus, she spent almost 30 years of her life where she could not see well enough to stitch. “I made a life without stitching. I went to law school. As a professor, I taught business law and business management for 30 years. I took up a variety of arts and crafts, but my life without needlepoint was not fulfilling. Needlepoint had fed my soul.” Seeing Double At age 28, while living in Kansas City, she began to see double when reading. Curious, she went to the eye doctor who held up a sign. “How many dots do you see?” he asked. Loni counted and counted and counted. Her slow pace aggravated the [...]