Siblings Get New Outlook on Life

After graduating from nursing school, 20-year-old Nina Bergey Fehnel was looking forward to a career as an operating room nurse. As part of a routine physical exam for a nursing job, Bergey Fehnel was asked to take an eye test. Much to her surprise, she had a great deal of difficulty seeing the letters on the eye chart. Initially assured that her problem was the result of a “really bad astigmatism,” she was fitted with a variety of corrective contact lenses, none of which seemed to help.

After a year of struggling with her vision, Bergey Fehnel sought a second opinion. Her new physician correctly diagnosed her problem as “keratoconus,” a steep curving of the cornea that severely distorts vision. While its cause is still unknown, keratoconus usually affects young adults. The condition usually results in blindness.

Her new diagnosis led Bergey Fehnel to Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, where the primary concern became healing the damage done to her cornea by her misdiagnosis and improperly fitting contact lenses. Many months of therapeutic eye drops and protective eye patches ensued. Eventually, Bergey Fehnel was fitted for a new pair of contact lenses that would clarify her vision for the short term. But her physicians told her that the only way she would retain her vision for the duration of her life would be by receiving a corneal transplant, or “keratoplasty,” in both eyes.

The years passed and Bergey Fehnel continued her successful career as a nurse. At 28, her doctor told her that the time had come to put her name on a list for a cornea transplant in her left eye. Bergey Fehnel realized that the transplant was her only chance to keep her eyesight. Bergey Fehnel’s sight began to improve steadily following her surgery.

Just five years after her first successful corneal transplant, and shortly before her wedding, Bergey Fehnel was told that the time had arrived for a corneal transplant in her right eye. The surgery was performed without a hitch, and Bergey Fehnel now enjoys clear vision in both eyes. She rejoices in her ability to continue her career and her normal life—and to clearly see the faces of her two children.

Bergey Fehnel’s brother Kent Bergey was diagnosed with keratoconus a few years after his sister, and he has also received two successful cornea transplants. Today, both Bergeys enjoy healthy, active lifestyles. Like more than 30,000 Americans each year, they received the gift of sight from a generous cornea donor.

Need more information on becoming a cornea donor? Contact the Eye Bank today or call 1-800-NE-PA-EYE (637-2393).