Melanie Saunders, Funds for Eye Disease

Hello! My name is Melanie Saunders and I am 22 years old. Up until October 2023 I was a nursing student at the University of South Carolina, pursuing my BSN degree. I was an active and healthy person with many hobbies, including weightlifting, reading, crocheting, and pursuing my passion in healthcare! In June of 2023 what had first appeared to be severe dry eye, quickly progressed to a devastating place.

When I started experiencing chronic eye pain and blurry vision, I was still in school. I went to a doctor and was diagnosed with severe lacrimal gland failure, meibomian gland dysfunction, blepharitis, ocular rosacea, neurotrophic keratitis, and corneal neuralgia. Essentially , I no longer can produce any tears or moisture , resulting in painful chronic inflammation of my eyeballs, causing corneal abrasions, staining, severe light sensitivity,burning and stabbing pain, and issues with vision . Alongside this I have neuropathic pain in my eyes that causes me to have a constant sensation of soap, shampoo, or sunscreen in my eyes 24/7. They burn and sting this way every waking hour .

As things progressed, I quickly lost my ability to read and my ability to drive. I had to medically withdraw from school, and quit my job. As things then continued to get worse, I lost the ability to complete certain daily activities of living as the pain was so severe I had to spend most of the day with my eyes taped shut. I moved home to be taken care of by my family, losing much of my independence.

I've been mostly homebound for the past 2 years unable to have many hobbies or entertainment, leaving me isolated, and trying to find new identity and purpose for my life.

Despite being to a variety of doctors across the state, the true cause of my disease, or what is going on remains unknown. We've exhausted almost every treatment option at this point , spending around 60k this summer on treatments such as Autologous serum tears, conjunctivochalasis surgery, meibomian gland probing, lacrimal gland injections, prosthetic lenses, and other medications. Currently as of October 2024, my treatments total around $2000-3000 a month.

My family, especially my mother and father, Tanya and Jeremy Saunders, have been an amazing support system and do everything in their power to find the best care for me, as well as making sure I am well loved, fed, and cared for at home. They have been supporting me financially, as well as paying out of pocket for an extensive amount of treatments that insurance doesn't want to cover. I wanted to start this GoFundMe in the hopes to relieve them a bit as the traveling starts to become overwhelmingly expensive; as well as to feel like I am playing a proactive role in my treatment. Donations will be directly sent into an account for medical bills.

Thank you so much if you took the time to read my story.

Update March 2025:

My monthly medications and medical expenses continue to average around 1-2k a month . This year is involving a lot of traveling back and forth to BostonSight to continue to fit for prosthetic lenses . The cost of these lenses as well as travel, hotel, etc are high. I am also due for a procedure I have to have annually, MG probing, in the same month, which is around 6k.

I am still at this time asking and appreciating any help with the finances of this condition. Thank you all so much for your support.