Cynthia’s Story – A Photographer’s Vision

“Prior to the loss of my sight at the age of 20, I was a photographer, so you can see how important my eyes were to me,” Cynthia says.

The vibrant colors of a flower in spring. Seeing a bumblebee buzz and dart through the garden. The crisp outline of a frozen snowflake on the windowpane. All of these sights are just a few of the many beautiful moments Cynthia has captured through her photography. As the progressive and degenerative eye disease Keratoconus began to worsen and blur her vision, Cynthia could no longer see the images she once loved to photograph.

“Prior to the loss of my sight at the age of 20, I was a photographer, so you can see how important my eyes were to me,” Cynthia says. “I have Keratoconus and slowly started to lose my sight due to a thinning of the cornea causing blurred vision. By the age of 20 I had a cane and was considered legally blind in both eyes. My eyes hurt all the time and, as you can imagine, I was scared. However, my hope of recovering my eyesight came in the form of two organ donors and skilled surgeons and physicians. My eye sight was better than 20/20 after the procedures!”

Once her sight was restored, Cynthia began playing with photography to find different ways to show others a glimpse of how she saw the world with Keratoconus. She was able to capture a photo that provides a great visual of what she saw before and after her corneal transplants. It was important to Cynthia to capture this photo to show others the impact cornea donation and transplantation makes in so many lives.

As is sometimes the case with Keratonconus, Cynthia’s condition returned and she underwent a third transplant this year. “Though hard to go through a second time in life, I am now 38 years old and this summer I received yet another cornea transplant!”

“Words cannot express what kind of hope I was given through the blessings of people I do not know! Through the love and kindness I have been shown I return it every day by being as kind and giving as I possibly can be to others. Thus, the lives of those who gave to me keep giving now through me,” she says. “I will spend my life paying it forward as my thanks to organizations like Saving Sight and to all the people involved in the process of restoring my and many others eyesight.”

Cynthia captured these before and after photos to show others a glimpse of how she saw the world with Keratoconus.