You're Helping MEEI -- How is MEEI Helping Others?

Peters' Anomaly is a congenital disease that results in bilateral opacity of the corneas; cataracts and glaucoma can also be present, resulting in impaired vision. Four years ago, on the small Caribbean island of Barbados, Nathan Lewis was born with the disease. His vision was near 20/2000 in both eyes; he could only see light.

Nathan’s lack of vision affected his development and he used a walker to move around. Desperate to find help, his family first visited MEEI about a year and a half ago for medical treatment. An unfortunate fact is that cornea transplants often fail with this disease, and the first attempts to correct Nathan’s vision in the left eye were less than successful.

But his devoted parents, ever holding out hope that MEEI ophthalmologists could help Nathan, urged another attempt at giving him sight. His father left his job to travel to Boston so that Nathan could receive medical treatment.

With the support of the hospital’s International Office and Social Work Department, along with financial assistance from the Ray Tye Medical Aid Foundation, Dr. Shizuo Mukai placed a scleral buckle in Nathan’s right eye in September 2007 to reduce his risk of a retinal detachment. In later surgeries, Dr. Kathryn Colby removed the cataract from this eye, surgically implanted a Boston Keratoprosthesis (KPro), also known as an “artificial cornea,” and replaced the lens in the eye.

After the operation, Nathan began to walk on his own for the first time. The MEEI Optical Shop has donated eyeglasses to Nathan, whose vision is now 20/89. After several months in Boston, his mother and father will return to Barbados with Nathan, who will now be able to see his home for the first time, thanks to help provided by Ray Tye and a team of dedicated professionals at MEEI. “It is very difficult to restore vision in children with corneal scarring using traditional corneal transplantation techniques,” Dr. Colby said. “The Boston KPro offers hope for rapid visual recovery in these patients. Our entire team is thrilled with Nathan’s progress. This is truly a major advance in the care of children with corneal diseases such as Peters’ Anomaly.”

Dr. Kathy Colby, one of the many professionals at MEEI that helped Nathan see again,

in the clinic with Nathan and his parents, Kery-Ann and Mark.

MEEI Social Worker Lynda Ketcham gives Nathan a “Perkins Panda”
donated by the Lions Clubs International and the Perkins School for the Blind.

Money makes you happy - if you spend it on others

An article in today's Boston Globe states that new research proves that money can make you happy - if you spend it on someone else. Therefore you are helping others by asking them to donate to a good cause, which helps others -- Mass. Eye and Ear -- for your sponsorship for the Boston Marathon.

From the article: "There's so much benefit to the person who contributes to others that I often think that there is no more selfish act than a generous act," said Tal Ben-Shahar, author of the book "Happier" and teacher of the positive psychology course on happiness that is Harvard's most popular class.

It's a very interesting article. See the whole article here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/03/21/money_makes_you_happy___if_you_spend_it_on_others/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Massachusetts+news