Florida Hospital Altamonte (see more articles like this)

*** Video with B-roll and interviews available ***

WHAT: Fifty-seven-year-old William Schimmel suffers from a hereditary corneal disease that severely limits his scope of vision.  For years, he has not been able to see the sailboats on the ocean outside his New Smyrna Beach home, drive his car at night, or even pick out a video from the video store without standing inches from the shelf.  Schimmel did not want to have corneal transplant surgery, though, because of the approximate 4-6 month recovery time.  Then, he discovered a new minimally invasive corneal transplant surgery being performed at Florida Hospital that requires a much shorter recovery time.  This week, Schimmel had the surgery and is now on his way to seeing things he could not see before. 

HOW: The cornea is the clear covering over the eye, similar to the face of a watch.  Patients who need corneal transplants are patients whose clear covering, or the “face of the watch,” has become cloudy.  Traditional procedures required a full corneal transplant that meant 18-20 stitches and 4-6 months of recovery.  This new minimally invasive procedure only replaces the inner lining of the cornea, so the patient only has 2 stitches and a 2-3 month recovery time.

BACKGROUND:    According to the National Eye Institute, approximately 40,000 corneal transplants are preformed in the United States each year.  Common reasons for corneal transplants are complications after cataract surgery or certain eye diseases.  The new minimally invasive corneal transplant surgery is specifically for patients who have problems with the back of the cornea.  This surgery is not for patients who have suffered injuries, trauma or burns to the cornea.  Risks associated with this surgery are the same ones as other eye surgeries.  Florida Hospital is the only hospital in the area where this procedure is currently available.

PLEASE NOTE: Video with interviews and B-roll available upon request including:
• Interview with patient William Schimmel
• Interview with Miguel Lugo, M.D.
• B-roll of corneal transplant surgery
B-roll of Dr. Lugo examining Schimmel the day after surgery