RAPID CITY - In January, Wright Vision Center in Rapid City became only the fifth clinic in the country to use the new IEK procedure for corneal transplants.

"In the past, you cut it by hand. It's not perfect," said Cris Mathews, a physician's assistant with Wright Vision Center.

The IEK, which stands for

IntraLase-Enabled Keratoplasty, allows the physician to use a laser to cut a zigzag pattern for replacing the cornea. When the new cornea is "locked" into the puzzle piece-like design, the transplant tends to be more secure and stable.

"It's a perfect fit," Mathews says, locking her fingers together to demonstrate.

Dr. Paul Wright began doing the procedure in Rapid City in January.

Before offering the IEK corneal transplant procedure, Wright had to cut the eye manually when doing corneal transplants. The IEK procedure not only heals faster than the manual procedure, but it's less painful as well, says Mathews.

Sturgis resident Rick Remington had corneal transplants in both eyes. The first was done with the old manual procedure. The second, the left eye, was done with the IEK procedure.

"It healed three times faster," he said.

Instead of 10 weeks to heal, his left eye healed in two weeks. And he experienced far less pain.

"Two days after the laser surgery, there was no pain in my (left) eye, hardly at all," he said. Remington said he required pain medication for two weeks for his right eye, which was done manually with the traditional procedure.

Matthews says those improvements in patient recovery time and pain relief demonstrates just how exciting the IEK procedure is for Rapid City patients.

"It speaks volumes to say that Dr. Wright's clinic is one in five in the United States," she said."

To learn more about IEK corneal transplants, call Wright Vision Center at 719-9499 or 1-866-719-9499. The clinic is located at 240

Minnesota St.

Vision returns quickly after gradual loss

By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal staff

RAPID CITY - In the past couple of years, Diane Ange had virtually given up one of her favorite hobbies: reading.

Due to corneal dysplasia, the Rapid City woman's vision had grown progressively worse with each year. She gave up highway driving when she couldn't read the signs any longer. Even trips around town required careful planning because Ange's eyes couldn't take in the information on street signs fast enough.

In 2006, the 63-year-old former nurse had had enough.

Ange underwent a relatively new procedure called DSAEK, performed by Rapid City physician Paul Wright, in August and December 2006. She's now reading her favorite books and comprehending street signs. For the first time in years, she can see the congregation from her spot in the St. Therese Church choir. "It was so amazing to see people's faces again," she said.

Ange first learned that she had corneal cell dysplasia about 25 years ago. Doctors told her it was likely genetic.

Over the years, Ange's vision gradually deteriorated, but it wasn't until recently that she really understood how bad it had become. "When something happens very gradually, you don't realize how much it's changing," she said.

When she began considering a corneal transplant, a friend mentioned the cell procedure. Ange put off her original plans to have a complete cornea transplant, opting instead for the cell procedure.

Each year, there are 40,000 full corneal transplants done in the United States, according to Kris Mathews, a physicians assistant with Wright Vision Center. The corneal cell procedure, however, is only 2-1/2 years old.

Corneal transplants restore sight to corneas that have been damaged by an injury, an infection or degeneration.

During the corneal transplant, the doctor transplants a complete cornea taken from a donor into the eye of a recipient. During the DSAEK, only corneal cells taken from a donor are placed in the eye.

DSAEK procedures are more precise, says Mathews. They also allow for a faster recovery than a complete corneal transplant. The eye is more stable and the patient's vision returns much more quickly.

Ange says that within three months of both corneal cell transplants, she had 20/25 vision. A return to normal vision with complete transplants can take 12 to 18 months, Mathews says.

Ange was amazed at how quickly she could see again. The only lasting result from the surgery is the eye drops she uses each morning and each night to ensure the corneal cells are not rejected. Other than that, her life has returned to normal.

She can now spend mornings on her porch with her dogs, reading a good book. She drives again and hopes to begin reading in church again.

She's so grateful to the family of the cornea donor and to the doctors who changed her life.

"It's just a wonderful world out there again," she says. "It never ceases to amaze me, what medical science can do these days."

Lynn Taylor Rick is a staff writer with the Rapid City Journal. She can be reached at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.

Motorcycle focus of man's new outlook

By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal staff

STURGIS - Rick Remington looks forward to buying a motorcycle again.

It's a big step for a guy who was legally blind last year.

"Everything is so sharp and clear," he says. "I'm 53 years old with the eyes of a teenager."

Remington underwent corneal transplants; the first in October of 2006 and the second just three months ago. The second procedure was done using a new procedure called IntraLase Enabled Keratoplasty procedure (see above story).

The result of Remington's surgeries is a return to normal eyesight and a return to his life.

Remington's journey into sightlessness began in 2000 while working heavy construction. The Sturgis man was working along with others to replace a battery when a co-worker inadvertently tossed a handful of dirt over his shoulder.

The dirt, which had soaked up battery acid, struck Remington in the eyes.

"By the time I got it washed out, it had caused damage to my tear ducts," he says.

That damage led to dried irritation which led to swelling. Eventually, tissue in Remington's eyes tore.

"The right eye went first," he remembers.

The eye became so damaged that Remington could see only light and dark through it.

Remington couldn't work or drive. He lost his license in 2002 and was declared legally blind. Over the years, his vision grew increasingly worse as he struggled to sort out Medicare procedures. At the time of the accident, Remington had no insurance.

After nearly seven years of dwindling vision and hope, Remington finally had his corneas replaced with donor corneas by Dr. Paul Wright of Rapid City.

Wright did Remington's right eye in October 2006. In February, Wright used the new IEK procedure to do the left.

First the first time in seven years, Remington could see his grandkids again.

"I was just amazing to be able to see smiles and colors again," he says. "I get all choked up. It is really amazing to be able to see again."

Remington has 20/25 vision in his right eye and 20/40 in his left.

With his vision restored, Remington has hope again. He's excited to spend time with his kids and grandkids, and he's thrilled to even be thinking about a motorcycle again.

"I haven't felt this good since I was a teenager," he says.

Lynn Taylor Rick is a staff writer with the Rapid City Journal. She can be reached at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or 394-8414.