Chance at a New Life

Chance at a New Life
Corneal procedures help patients see clearly again

By Maritza Velazquez, Staff Writer

Helen Jean Griffin

For years, Helen Jean Griffin couldn’t see the details of a person’s face or the petals of a pretty flower.

At 94 years old, the San Dimas resident was blind in both eyes.

Then three months ago, she underwent a life-altering surgical procedure called DSAEK.

After being referred to Dr. Bud Kurwa in Glendora, Griffin discovered that she had Fuchs’ Dystrophy, a condition that causes clouding of the cornea and can eventually lead to blindness.

In the past, treatment would have required a corneal transplant. But this newer procedure decreases recovery time and holds fewer risks for older patients.

“One of the problems with corneal transplant surgery is that the recovery takes almost a year,” Dr. Kurwa explained.
“The stitches have to stay in until the wound completely heals. In older people, it doesn’t heal fast, so you have to have the stitches for six months to nine months, and you can’t see while the stitches are in.”

In Fuchs’ Dystrophy, the endothelial layer of cells behind the cornea stops functioning. These cells pump fluid from the eye, keeping the cornea clear. If the cells stop functioning, the cornea becomes clouded.

DSAEK surgery replaces these cells with donor tissue instead of transplanting the entire cornea. According to Kurwa, the procedure does not require general anesthesia.

“I thought that it would hurt … but it didn’t. It was absolutely painless,” Griffin said.

Within a month, she began seeing things she hadn’t seen in years.

“I’ve lived here (Atria Rancho Park) six and a half years and talked to these people, but I didn’t know what they looked like,” she said of the residents at the assisted living community.
“I must admit, I was amazed at how old some of them looked,” she joked.

Her vision has not returned to what it once was because of macular degeneration, an incurable condition that prevents her from doing things like watching television or reading.

Despite this, Griffin is ecstatic with the results. 

Clinical Outcomes & Limitations

So far, Dr. Kurwa has performed DSAEK surgeries on three patients, one of whom was unhappy with the procedure.

The ophthalmologist ended up performing a full corneal transplant after the patient found that she still had clouding of her cornea with the DSAEK procedure.

According to a survey by the Division of Cornea and External Diseases, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at University of Miami, graft detachment was the most common type of complication encountered with DSAEK.

Kurwa said he learned about the procedure through a two-day training by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Atlanta.

The Glendora doctor, who also has an office in Arcadia, finds it important to keep up with new advances.

“The technology keeps improving,” he said.
“You have to keep up with everything. New things come out all the time.”

However, the DSAEK procedure is not beneficial to all patients.

In younger patients, clouding of the cornea is caused by keratoconus, a disorder characterized by thinning of the cornea.

According to the National Keratoconus Foundation, the condition causes:

• Slight blurring

• Distortion of vision

• Increased sensitivity to glare and light

In severe cases, a corneal transplant is needed.