Eversight New Jersey Vision | Page 7

John Ruggiero has seen a lot in 71 years . But something he never imagined was the day when his sight would be restored in just a matter of hours .

John lived with vision problems since he was a teenager , but it wasn ’ t until his 20s that he realized how poor his eyesight had become .

“ I was enlisting in the Reserve Officers ’ Training Corps ( ROTC ) program , and during my physical the doctor said with eyesight like mine I ’ d be dead in six months ,” John recalled .

John was diagnosed with keratoconus , a progressive eye disease that causes the cornea to thin and become cone-shaped , resulting in distorted vision .

In 1969 treatments for keratoconus were limited , but a relatively new operation – a cornea transplant – offered some hope for restoring John ’ s sight .

John was placed on a waiting list and , after several months , received a transplant .

The recovery was long and arduous . He spent 25 hours under anesthesia , followed by 11 days in the hospital laying flat on his back , motionless with his eyes closed . Then came two weeks at home before he could finally return to work .

While the surgery was considered a success , the results were fair at best , John said , leaving him with 20 / 100 vision . But he took it all in stride .

“ You have to pick yourself up , dust yourself off and move on . Live life like anyone else ,” John said . And he did just that – starting a family , raising three children and building a successful career .

But the degenerative nature of keratoconus brought John a lifetime of treatments to improve his vision including numerous eyeglass and contact lens prescriptions , refractive and cataract surgeries , and many more transplants .

The most recent transplant truly opened John ’ s eyes to a new world .

In January of last year , he scheduled his sixth cornea transplant . This latest experience was far different than the first : John arrived at the surgical center at 10 in the morning and was back home by 1:30 that afternoon . Even more astounding is that John now has nearly perfect 20 / 20 vision .

“ If someone had told me after my first transplant experience that one day I ’ d be home just hours after surgery , I would have never believed them ,” John said . “ I have better vision now at 71 than I did when I was 30 !”

Looking to the Future

Eversight partners with surgeons and researchers to find new ways to treat corneal blindness through improved transplant techniques , cell therapies , bionic technologies and more .