Help Me Keep My Vision
Donation protected
I have always had a very strong prescription when it came to glasses and contacts. I've seen an optometrist for as long as I can remember. Throughout junior high and high school, I was constantly needing to have an updated prescription as the numbers continued to grow larger and larger. It seemed as though my prescription was growing a whole point every year, and my optometrist had said that if it continued I would be blind by 21. Luckily for me, my vision began to stabilize right before I went to college.
In February of this year, I noticed that I was having a very difficult time being able to see. This was accompanied by migraines, headaches and a throbbing sensation behind my eyes. It had gotten so bad that I could cover my left eye, and my central field of vision was completely dim/black in my right eye. I couldn't see people's faces or the slides projected on the screen during my classes. Everything seemed to become increasingly difficult for me.
I made an appointment with the eye doctor and learned that I have a hole in my right eye as well as several very thin perforated parts of my retina. They recommended me to go see a Retinologist.
I went to the retinologist, and found out that I have retinal detachments in both of my eyes. They ran many different tests. One test involved injecting a highlighter yellow dye into my arm and taking pictures of my eyes under different colored lights. This revealed another issue... a blood vessel that is leaking blood in my eye. The blood was obstructing my central field of vision and I could not see through it. In order to remedy the blood vessel issue, they would need to inject medicine into my eye.
Before I was able to go in and get the injections done, I began to notice that I was losing the vision in my left eye as well. We made an emergency appointment where they were able to see a blood vessel in my left eye that had also began to leak. That day, I had two injections into each eye (one a numbing agent, the other the medicine). The one in my right eye did not take too well, and it became incredibly tender and swollen.
The injections are to be done every 4-6 weeks. They are several hundred dollars each. When the hormone runs out, the blood vessel will no longer be coated and the blood will come back and obstruct my vision.
To fix the retinal detachment, they will have to fuse a silicone band around the back of my eye. The scleral buckle surgery will be accompanied by a few other procedures. They are a Pars Plana Vitrectomy, Membrane Peel and use of an endolaser to burn the retina which will create scar tissue and hopefully allow it to fall back into place. The scleral buckle will remain on my eye for the rest of my life. This is scheduled for Monday, May 2, 2016.
While I have a very loving support system behind me, I am unable to have financial assistance with all of the medical bills.
They have become incredibly expensive, and it has been difficult for me to manage paying for all of my regular bills, expenses and tuition on top of the medical bills even with a second job.
These scans were taken a month apart.
In February of this year, I noticed that I was having a very difficult time being able to see. This was accompanied by migraines, headaches and a throbbing sensation behind my eyes. It had gotten so bad that I could cover my left eye, and my central field of vision was completely dim/black in my right eye. I couldn't see people's faces or the slides projected on the screen during my classes. Everything seemed to become increasingly difficult for me.
I made an appointment with the eye doctor and learned that I have a hole in my right eye as well as several very thin perforated parts of my retina. They recommended me to go see a Retinologist.
I went to the retinologist, and found out that I have retinal detachments in both of my eyes. They ran many different tests. One test involved injecting a highlighter yellow dye into my arm and taking pictures of my eyes under different colored lights. This revealed another issue... a blood vessel that is leaking blood in my eye. The blood was obstructing my central field of vision and I could not see through it. In order to remedy the blood vessel issue, they would need to inject medicine into my eye.
Before I was able to go in and get the injections done, I began to notice that I was losing the vision in my left eye as well. We made an emergency appointment where they were able to see a blood vessel in my left eye that had also began to leak. That day, I had two injections into each eye (one a numbing agent, the other the medicine). The one in my right eye did not take too well, and it became incredibly tender and swollen.
The injections are to be done every 4-6 weeks. They are several hundred dollars each. When the hormone runs out, the blood vessel will no longer be coated and the blood will come back and obstruct my vision.
To fix the retinal detachment, they will have to fuse a silicone band around the back of my eye. The scleral buckle surgery will be accompanied by a few other procedures. They are a Pars Plana Vitrectomy, Membrane Peel and use of an endolaser to burn the retina which will create scar tissue and hopefully allow it to fall back into place. The scleral buckle will remain on my eye for the rest of my life. This is scheduled for Monday, May 2, 2016.
While I have a very loving support system behind me, I am unable to have financial assistance with all of the medical bills.
They have become incredibly expensive, and it has been difficult for me to manage paying for all of my regular bills, expenses and tuition on top of the medical bills even with a second job.
These scans were taken a month apart.
Organizer
Kristina Heckel
Organizer
Champion Forest, TX
