Birthline's predicament of suffering from keratoconus - the thinning of her corneas - touched the heart of local reader Blanche van Huyssteen, spurring her on to send an e-mail to Kfm's Christmas Wish List project in December (George Herald, 8 December 2011). Exceeding everyone's expectations, a whopping R120 000 was donated by Kleenex, which is enough to cover the cost of replacing both of Birthline's degenerating corneas.
Although there was a little wait, Dr Meyer was very happy with the healthy cornea that was sourced by his staff member, Annelies Fourie, via the internet. "We finally received a cornea from a young donor in the United States in good order, and I did Birthline's corneal transplant late last night [27 March] at the Geneva Mediclinic. The surgery went very well. Dr Gerda Smit performed the anaesthesia for the two-hour operation."
"The first day after the surgery Birthline could already count my fingers with her previously blind eye and today, one week after the surgery she can read the letters on the chart 6 metres away without glasses. Her vision is expected to improve still more with time and with the use of spectacles or contact lenses.
"Werner Fourie Optometrist has offered to help her with this," added Dr Meyer, who divides his time between his George and Knysna practices.
During one of her weekly check-up visits to Dr Meyer's George office, Annaline, Birthline's mom, had the opportunity of looking through a slit lamp microscope to see the 16 stitches that are barely visible in the outermost layer of Birthline's eye. These stitches are to keep her new cornea in place as it takes six months to a year to mould into the existing cornea.
Annaline religiously puts special eye drops in her daughter's eye four times a day, as the first year is the most crucial where rejection and infection are concerned.
Birthline, who can return to her Grade 10 class at Pacaltsdorp High School with her schoolmates on 10 April, admits that when she woke up after the operation her eye felt uncomfortable and sore. However, the realisation that her vision will continue to improve makes the discomfort worthwhile. And, as Dr Meyer adds, "When this eye is sufficiently healed, I hope to find a cornea for her left eye as well," - a fact which means her eyesight is set to improve even further.
Birthline's parents, Annaline and Hendrik, thank everyone who has assisted the family thus far, especially Dr Meyer, Ms van Huyssteen and the staff of Pacaltsdorp High School.
.jpg)
Birthline visits her eye surgeon, Dr Meyer every few days to check that her new cornea is not being rejected by her body. Photo: LeeAnne Pratt
.jpg)
Annaline (left) and Birthline de Villiers with Dr Meyer who performed the youngster’s corneal transplant recently. Photo: LeeAnne Pratt
ARTICLE: LEEANNE PRATT, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
