Eye Surgery

I posted this on other social media over a month ago, but I will post it here as well, just to keep a record of my progress.

In late January, I underwent eye surgery to address Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy, a condition that breaks down the inner layer of the cornea, causing loss of vision. The following was my effort to depict eye surgery, and the recovery process, from the point of view of the patient.

DMEK is Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty, a technique that removes a thin layer of the cornea and replaces it with donor tissue. Compared to full thickness cornea transplant, or even partial thickness cornea transplant (DSEK or DSAEK), DMEK involves only the thinnest layer of the back of the cornea, resulting in less chance of rejection, faster recovery, and better visual outcomes.

So far, I’ve only had the DMEK in my left eye; my right eye has yet to be done. At the time I made these drawings, my vision was still quite blurry, but was improving quite a bit compared to the days immediately following surgery.