Jeannine Hart believes that good things will come to those who wait.

Diagnosed with cornea dystrophy in both eyes 35 years ago, she knew her vision would eventually be like looking through a glass of milky water. Yet it was so slow in progressing that she didn’t notice her eyesight deteriorating until 1999, when she turned 70. Four years later, she underwent cataract surgery in her right eye, which did very little to help her vision.

After that surgery, she was referred to Julio Narváez, M.D., an ophthalmologist at Loma Linda University Health Care, in the spring of 2004. Hart was aware that her best option for restoring her sight would be a corneal transplant.

At the time, penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), a procedure that replaces the full thickness of the cornea, was the standard of care. Few improvements had been made to this procedure in the past 50 years, and it is associated with several well-known disadvantages such as unpredictable refractive outcomes, a prolonged recovery that often takes a year, and a permanent susceptibility to trauma.

Narváez, however, knew a better procedure was just around the corner.

Having the possibilities of PKP explained and with the option of a new procedure not too far off, Hart decided to wait, even though she knew her vision would get worse.

And it did.

“My sight was deteriorating to the point of having to use a magnifying glass to read the paper, books, magazines, restaurant checks, and shelf prices at the grocery store,” recalls Hart.

At this point Hart’s vision was a dismal 20/200, and the fear of falling was very real for her.

During an appointment with Narváez on Jan. 24, he was able to finally tell her what the new procedure was. Called Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK), this procedure replaces only the diseased posterior layer of the cornea, bypassing many of the disadvantages of traditional PKP.

After hearing this, Hart’s response was “I can’t wait!” though she would still have to wait another four months before the equipment arrived, and she was scheduled for surgery on April 26 to transplant the cornea in her right eye.

Finally the day arrived. Hart reported to the operating room at 12 noon and was prepped for surgery. The procedure began at 3:30 p.m. and lasted all of an hour and a half. One of her friends drove her home to Riverside, which she reached by 6:30 that evening.

The biggest thing Hart remembers about the surgery was that she felt no pain.

“Immediately after the surgery when I could read the paper, a magazine, or a book, and distinguish who the people were on the TV, I felt like I had a whole new life,” smiles Hart. “I am so grateful to Dr. Narváez for delaying my surgery until this procedure was available. I am seriously and happily looking forward to having the same procedure on my left eye.”