GVHD may cause severe eye dryness that results in permanent vision loss without treatment.

Hematologic stem cell transplantation is commonly used to repair the immune system following high intensity radiation treatment.  Simply put, a donor gives healthy blood to somebody with a weakened immune system to jump start their immunity and prevent them from becoming sick.

It is common for the new blood cells (the graft) to view the recipient (the host) tissue as foreign.  This results in tissue damage, often targeting the tear glands of the eyes.  This is termed Ocular Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD).  Damaged tear glands tend to stop working well, if at all, and result in a severely dry eye surface.  This dryness is painful, debilitating, and may cause permanent vision loss if not treated quickly.

The solution?  Scleral contact lenses.  These lenses restore the ability to live a day without worrying whether or not your eye irritation will keep you in bed all day.

Schedule a Scleral contact lens evaluation today to get started and get dry eye relief! Suburban Eye Care: (734) 525-8170