Local mom races against time to save her eyesight

Thirty-year-old Zenobia Coulter is facing a race against time as she raises funds to go under the knife to save her eyesight.
The Eastvale resident has been diagnosed with keratoconus, a genetic condition in which the cornea (clear, dome-shaped front surface of the eye) thins and bulges.
Her mother had a cornea transplant and was able to save her vision, but in Coulter’s case, the condition is progressing rapidly.
She said she has lost vision in her left eye and her right eye is deteriorating.
Coulter noticed her eyesight was failing after she matriculated and struggled to see at night. She then started wearing spectacles, which helped.

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When she went to her optometrist last June, however, it was discovered the keratoconus is advancing.
Government hospitals in the province couldn’t help and Coulter was forced to go to a private specialist.
Her corneas were in such bad shape, she was told she required cross-linking treatment.
The Kellog Eye Centre describes cross-linking as a procedure used for patients with keratoconus that is minimally invasive and uses ultraviolet light and eye drops to strengthen the collagen fibres in the cornea.
“In February, I couldn’t see my hand when I held it up. It was very blurry. The cost for the cross-linking was R25 000 and I managed to get a loan and get the procedure done.
“That didn’t work out as well as we had anticipated,” said Coulter.
The best treatment for Coulter would be a cornea transplant, which is not only expensive at R70 000, but recipients also need a donor. This could take years. In addition, the eye could reject the donated cornea.
The alternative for the mother of two is to get Intracorneal Ring Segments implantation, called ICRS or intacs, for which she is now raising funds.
According to Dr Sachin Bawa, ICRS are small arc-shaped rings that vary in thickness and length.
“They are made of inert plastic, which is implanted in a laser-cut channel within the cornea. These ring implants cause a flattening of the cone-shaped cornea and subsequently a more regular cornea.
“It is a safe and effective treatment of keratoconus and can delay or prevent the need for a corneal transplant,” said Bawa.

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The cost of the procedure is R39 000.
Time is of the essence for Coulter and she has two months left to raise funds for the surgery.
Coulter said raising the money has been slow as she is still paying off the loan for her previous treatment, has day-to-day living costs and when she’d raised funds in the past, she had only raised enough to pay for the expense of hosting the fund-raiser.
She’s been selling cookies and making jewellery and headbands to raise the funds and has set up a backabuddy page.
In the meantime, Coulter has been taking care of her eyes as best as she can.
“I have to apply eye drops four times a day, which alone costs almost R1 000. I also have a special ointment that I need to apply before I go to bed,” said Coulter.To donate, contact Coulter on Zenobiasfundraiser@gmail.com or visit her backabuddy page at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/help-me-restore-my-vision.

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