This Year's Donations

MHBB 2013 donations will be dedicated to the BostonSight PROSE (Prosthetic Replacement of the Ocular Surface Ecosystem) program at the Kellogg Eye Center!

Goals of BostonSight PROSE Reduce symptoms and support healing by restoring a healthy ocular surface environment Improve blurry vision by masking irregularities on the cornea’s surface and transmitting a sharp image to the back of the eye Prevent damage by protecting the cornea and conjunctiva against the environment and eyelids		Every year, the proceeds from March Hoops To BEAT Blindness are dedicated to a specific research and programs at the Kellogg Eye Center. The program is chosen for its innovative approach and focus on treating and finding cures to blinding conditions. I am happy to announce all donations from March Hoops to BEAT Blindness 2013 will go to support the vision-restoring program in the PROSE Clinic at the Kellogg Eye Center. Dr. Karen DeLoss partners with cornea specialists at the Kellogg Eye Center and works with patients in the PROSE Clinic to ensure they receive a custom-fitted device that is comfortable for their unique eye size and shape. The results are amazing and inspiring, and make an enormous difference in the lives the hundreds of patients who receive this device! The Kellogg Eye Center is one of only 10 clinics in the country to offer this treatment.
What is the PROSE device? The PROSE device looks like a large contact lens. It's made up of a special gas permeable material that allows oxygen to reach the eye. Patients wear it on the surface of their eye and it is held in place by their upper and lower eyelids. The space between the device and the eye is filled with sterline saline liquid. When the fit of the PROSE devise is correct, the liquid will never leak. Getting the fit right can be very tricky and sometimes takes several visits to the clinic by the patient. Dr. DeLoss uses Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs to design and adjust the size and shape of the PROSE device for each individual patient's eye size, shape, and contours. If the fit is not right, there can be discomfort wearing the device, like having a sharp eyelash in your eye. The discomfort just doesn't go away. But when the fit is right - the patients will get so used to it that they forget they're even wearing the device, except in most cases their eye sight is great! (this image was graciously provided and approved by the Boston Foundation for Sight)
How Does BostonSight PROSE Work? The prosthetic devices created during BostonSight™ PROSE treatment are transparent domes, about the size of a nickel. They look similar to an oversized hard contact lens and resemble a margarita glass without the stem in shape. Devices fit under the eyelids, vaulting the damaged cornea and resting on the sclera (the relatively insensitive white tissue of the eye). Worn during waking hours, patients are trained in daily application, removal and cleaning as part of the treatment process. PROSE devices are made out of a highly gas-permeable hard plastic that allows oxygen to reach the cornea. They are designed to create a space between the device and the eye that is filled with sterile saline. The liquid remains in the reservoir, providing constant lubrication by bathing the eye in a pool of artificial tears. Devices are designed and fit by specially-trained PROSE doctors and made on-site at the Boston Foundation for Sight PROSE Manufacturing Lab. PROSE doctors use a Design to Fit™ CAD/CAM system to create each device to precisely fit the patient’s unique eye shape and maximize treatment goals. Thanks to the fit and the ability to incorporate a sight prescription, the BostonSight PROSE device provides improved sight when it is worn. The goal is always 20/20 vision, and in most cases it can be acheived. Some patients have improved from 20/400 to 20/20!
What Research is Being Done? Dr. DeLoss continues to research the use of BostonSight PROSE device as it relates to ocular surface disease. Her work also aims to the understanding of the long-term efficacy of this course of treatment, as well as how to translate its use into other areas of ocular surface disease processes and research. Dr. DeLoss fits about 100 patients per year. As awareness of this device increases, even more patients per year will benefit from it's miraculous sight-restoring capability.
THIS IS SO COOL! HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PROSE? To learn more about PROSE, Click Here, call Kellogg's BostonSight PROSE Clinic at 734-232-8400, email PROSEClinic@umich.edu , or visit www.bostonsight.org/prose-treatment .