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(Posted 7:30
p.m., Nov. 8)
Orléans
girl back home after undergoing eye surgery at U.S. clinic
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 Lisa
Cater (seated) recently returned from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota where
she underwent surgery to correct her chronic double vision. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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Seventeen-year-old
Lisa Cater is back home recovering from eye surgery after being operated on at the
world renowned Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
The surgery,
which involved detaching and reattaching a pair of muscles in both her eyes,
will hopefully correct Lisa’s double vision which she has suffered,
along with debilitating headaches, loss of equilibrium and fatigue, ever
since she had a brain tumour removed in May 2005.
Lisa's mother,
Debra Dowding, says the surgery went extremely well, although it could take
up to eight weeks before they know just how well.
"Her vision
was actually worse when she first opened her eyes, but that was expected.
Now it's back to the way it was before the surgery and over time it will
slowly get better," says Dowding. "The doctor who performed the
surgery said that it went very smoothly. He's totally confident the surgery
will be a success and she won't need a second operation."
As a result of
the surgery Lisa's eyes are now almost perfectly alligned which should eliminate
the double vision she has been experiencing in her centre field of vision.
However, she may still experience problems in her upper and lower fields
of vision.
The hope is that
by fixing Lisa's double vision, the procedure will limit the other symptoms
she's been suffering from -- namely the headaches, loss of balance and fatigue.
While it's unlikely
the symptoms will ever be completely eliminated, the hope is that they will
be limited to the point where Lisa will be able to live relatively pain
free although she may still suffer from occasional migraines.
Now that the
surgery has been done and Lisa is on her way to recovery, Dowding plans
to renew her struggle with OHIP to get the provincial agency to cover the
cost of the procedure.
The day before
they left for Minnesota, Dowding received a letter from OHIP requesting
that she supply them with documentation to back up her appeal of an earlier
decision not to reimburse them for the cost of the surgery. The decision
to deny her claim was made on the grounds that the surgery could have been
performed in Ontario, and that she failed to seek out a second opinion before
going to the Mayo Clinic.
But Dowding says
she took her daughter to the Mayo Clinic after seeing a number of specialists,
none of whom were able to give them a clear diagnosis, let alone a possible
treatment. One neuro-optthamologist told them that sugery would likely not
work in Lisa's
case.
One of the advantages
to going to the Mayo Clinic is that they specialize in pediatric neuro-opthamology.
In fact, the Mayo Clinic is one of the leading institutions in the world
when it comes to the treatment of eye diseases and disorders in children
As such they perform surgeries, like the one performed on Lisa, on a regular
basis.
Fortunately,
the Dowding family will be able to cover the cost of Lisa's surgery thanks
to the generosity of the local community which has come out to support a
variety of events which have so far raised over $15,000.
Should OHIP decide
to cover the cost of Lisa's surgery, any money that isn't used to cover
the cost of travel and accommodations will be donated to CHEO to help pay
for equipment.
To learn more
about Lisa's story visit www.silas.ca/lisa.
(This story
was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.)
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