By Mary Malloy
During three eye surgeries - in August 2007 and February and March of this year - Carney, 52, underwent cornea transplants. "Though it is unlikely that we will ever meet, I owe my sight to the generosity and unselfishness of those three families," Carney said. She does not know the identity of the donors.
Carney suffered from Fuchs Dystrophy, an inherited eye disease that was gradually blinding her. "I started having problems with my sight at age 40, and was first diagnosed with glaucoma," she recalled. Her sight was getting foggy during the day, and it was becoming more and more difficult for her to read. "It was not only stealing my sight, but it was causing me great pain," she said. She was eventually diagnosed with Fuchs' Dystrophy, a swelling of the corneas, but glasses and medications - which can sometimes alleviate the condition - failed to relieve her symptoms.
In June of 2007, Carney's doctor, Gerard D'Aversa, a specialist in corneal, cataract and refractive surgery with the Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island, informed her that the time had come for a cornea transplant, the only cure for the disease. Carney had her first transplant eight weeks later, on her left eye. Over the next six months, the vision in her right eye worsened to the point where it, too, needed a cornea transplant from a second donor. But her right eye rejected the transplant, and Carney had to wait until a third donor was found. That repeat surgery on her right eye, in March, so far appears to have been successful.
"Thanks to the donated corneas, I've been able to continue my career as a senior library clerk-typist in the Malverne School District," she said. "And I have not been a burden to anyone."
Carney and her husband, George, have three children, Kevin, 28, Kristen, 22, and Brian, 21. Kathy and all three kids are graduates of Lynbrook High School.
"Now my vision is fantastic!" Carney enthused. "I don't need glasses for distance, and I can see such beautiful colors - and the sharpness is fantastic." After the operations, she recalled, the brightness and colors were almost overwhelming. "But I soon got used to it," she said. "And I just need glasses for reading." She also has a new-found appreciation for doing arts and crafts.
"Now I understand the importance of cornea donation," Carney said. "That piece of clear tissue from the front of the eye is no larger or thicker than a contact lens - and donating it can give another person the gift of sight." She said that anyone can register as a donor, and it's important to make your family aware of your wishes.
For more information about cornea donation, go to the Lions Eye Bank Web site, lebli.org, or call (516) 465-8430.
Comments about this story? MMalloy@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext 202.
