Isabelle’s story and video are shared with permission.
“It all started when my friend was doing my makeup. ‘Are you aware you have this cloud-looking thing on your eye?’ Having eye problems was not new to me. I have had Neurotrophic Keratitis – a disease that causes my corneas to erode – in my right eye since I was 5 and in my left eye since I was 16. I accepted the fact that my vision was never going to be perfect; I knew it was getting worse as I aged. I already needed to use eye drops all the time
because of the constant dryness. Hearing my friend make that comment though, I realized maybe my condition was worse than I thought.
Seeing a Corneal Specialist
After visiting a corneal specialist, I heard for the first time that I was at great risk of going blind. All of a sudden, I was having my eyelids partially sewn shut to limit exposure to air, new sets of drops/ointments to try, lifestyle changes such as wearing ski goggles outside in the winter to protect my eyes, and going to the eye doctor so many times a month I had the eye exam letters completely memorized. While my left eye vision was significantly better than my right, I was still having trouble seeing things clearly. I needed a large font on my phone and a bigger TV – and squinting at things became the norm.
Failed Treatments
Failed treatment after failed treatment, I started to give up hope that my vision could ever be saved until I went to a new eye specialist who asked me if I had ever tried PROSE before. I immediately relayed the info I was told my whole life: ‘I can’t wear contacts, my tear ducts don’t work,’ etc. While all of that was true, this was not the type of lens they were talking about. As skeptical as I was about another treatment, I packed my bag and headed to Boston for a week amidst the pandemic. I sat in an ever-so-familiar room as I recounted my history and once again failed the standard eye exam, with even the biggest letter being hard to read.
Trying PROSE
When they finally put the test PROSE device in my eye, my stoic appearance immediately changed because instantly, my vision became clearer – and this wasn’t even the device specifically designed for me yet. Over the course of a very long week, I tried device after device until, finally, they found the perfect fit. It was not easy in the beginning; my eyes were so used to the blurriness, out-of-focus vision, and dryness that when my vision cleared, I became dizzy and nauseous. Luckily, I pushed through and by the end of the week, I was reading the small print in the eye exam from a chart I had never memorized. Two years later, I received a lens for my left eye. I am forever grateful to BostonSight for restoring my vision and allowing me to view the permanent ‘cloud’ on my eye as another part of the bright sky.”