Placental graft provides healing for eye injury
An accidental scratch to her cornea resulted in incredible pain, missed work and frustration for Betsy. However, a graft made from donated placenta changed all that …
“In June 2022, I accidentally scratched my right cornea with my fingernail. Over the next two and a half years, I developed Recurrent Corneal Erosion (RCE), while the original injury failed to heal. (RCE is when the outer layer of your cornea separates from underlying layers).
“I saw different doctors and tried different methods of healing, like antibiotics and steroids, but my RCE was becoming chronic. It was disrupting my sleep, and I even began missing work.
“After an extremely painful flare-up, I had a corneal debridement (removal of the outer layer of my eye that wasn’t adhering) and the placement of an amniotic graft from donated placenta.
“Since that surgery, my life has been so much easier. I do not have to wake up throughout the night to take medicine, and my pain is almost entirely gone. I still have occasional dry eye, but my original injury is completely healed. There is a risk I could one day have RCE flare ups and need more treatment, but as of now, I am much more comfortable and forever grateful for the way placenta donation improved my life.”
Healing grafts made from a placenta donation are used for a wide range of procedures involving eye, oral and spine surgery, and for the treatment of difficult-to-heal wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers and burns.
You can learn more about Lifeline of Ohio’s Placenta Donation program here.