‘A new cornea? Scary, but it couldn't get any worse’

In the spring of 2019, Harmien started suffering greatly from her right eye. ‘As if there was a grain of sand under my contact lens.’ She went to the optician. They saw damage and referred her to the general practitioner. ‘I was given an ointment for an inflammation, but it didn't work. I was referred to the ophthalmologist. There I was given eye drops, but the pain only got worse.’

A parasite in the eye

The ophthalmologist suspected the parasite Acanthamoeba. ‘Just don't Google it, he said. But of course I did. I was scared to death. The parasite lives in water, among other things, and can enter the eye through small wounds or damage to the cornea. People who wear contact lenses are more at risk. The parasite causes a lot of damage in the eye.’

Tests showed that Harmien indeed had the parasite. The doctors predicted a long recovery. By now, Harmien could barely see anything with her right eye. She had to administer various harsh eye drops every hour. ‘The damaged cornea and the drops caused indescribable pain. On a scale of zero to ten? Twenty. I couldn't eat, couldn't drink, and couldn't tolerate light. I lay like a dead little bird on the couch or in bed. In three weeks' time, I lost ten kilos.’

It can't get any worse

Things kept getting worse. Harmien had to return to the hospital for a check-up. ‘Even the car ride was too much. Once at the hospital I said: Just take my eye out! That's how much it hurt.’ Harmien was eventually admitted to the hospital. She received an IV and strong medication.

Her eye did not recover and her vision remained poor. ‘As if you were looking through a foggy mirror. I couldn't tolerate light. The doctors had tried everything. I had to consider a corneal transplant. At first I found that scary. But I quickly thought: it can't get any worse than this. Let's do it.’

A new cornea and a new lens

Harmien was put on the waiting list for a donor cornea. Then the corona pandemic started. Transplants were canceled or postponed. ‘Fortunately, I didn't have anything life-threatening, so that made a difference.’ A few months later, she still received a donor cornea and a new lens. Due to the many drops, she had also developed cataracts. After the surgery, Harmien could immediately see clearly again. The pain was gone too. ‘The donor cornea was secured with sixteen stitches. They removed those in stages.’

Pay close attention

The transplant was five years ago now. Harmien still has to use eye drops every day to prevent rejection. Her vision has improved, she sees about fifty to sixty percent. Harmien is careful and must watch out for rejection, damage, and depth. ‘When walking down stairs, I look extra carefully. At the station, I am glad of the white stripe on the bottom step.’ Harmien is happy that she can see better again and go out a lot with family and friends. For example, she likes to go to museums. One of her favorites is the Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. ‘Thanks to the cornea donor, I can now admire all the beautiful works of art again. I am very grateful for that.’

How the parasite got into her eye, Harmien doesn't know. ‘I haven't gone swimming. Maybe I rinsed my lenses with tap water or showered with them. I want to warn others about the risks so it doesn't happen to them.’

Eye-opener

Harmien is very happy with the donor cornea and looks back positively on the whole process. But it also feels bittersweet. ‘Someone had passed away. A family was in mourning and I had received a nice cornea. I could get quite emotional about that. Sometimes I wonder what this cornea has seen. And how old is it? Very special that such a small piece of tissue can do so much and has improved my quality of life so much. People often doubt whether they want to become a donor. But they forget that they themselves or a loved one might need something someday. That was an eye-opener for me and I try to make people aware of that.’