About Dr. Steven Kane

Fuch’s dystrophy. It’s a condition where the cornea will slowly swell and take on water over time; we call that “corneal edema.” The reason this happens has to do with specialized pump cells that live on the inside of the cornea. Over time they can slow down or stop working as a natural consequence of getting older. In someone with Fuch’s dystrophy, this process happens at an accelerated rate. The typical story of Fuch’s dystrophy is someone in their 40s or 50s who notices blurry vision worse in the morning. It may take an hour or two after waking until the vision clears. In later stages, the vision may stay blurry for the whole day. The treatment options for Fuch’s dystrophy have really exploded in the last 10 years. We can catch the condition much earlier and treat it before people develop end-stage disease. Just a few decades ago the only way to treat this condition was with a full-thickness cornea transplant. The techniques we have today allow for quicker recovery and a better chance at restoring near-perfect vision. The treatment options can be technically challenging, but that’s part of the reward. It’s really fun to give people their life back.

That was a really hard decision. I really liked both Ophthalmology and Ob-Gyn when I was a medical student. Ultimately it was the fine detail, the fine motor skills, and the delicate procedures that drew me to Ophthalmology. I am fascinated with the eye, it’s really beautiful. The ability to impact someone’s life by restoring vision is really exciting. I picked Cornea because I wanted to be a master of something. It’s hard to be a master of everything within General Ophthalmology. My cornea fellowship allowed me to really focus on the anterior segment of the eye and gain a level of expertise beyond my residency training. You can take someone who may not be able to see very well, give them a new cornea, and help them see again. There are also tons of options short of doing a cornea transplant to maximize someone’s vision potential, like rehabilitating the surface of the eye, advanced treatments for dry eye, and cataract surgery. There are all kinds of things we can do to help people see better. As a cornea specialist, that’s my wheelhouse; maximizing the visual potential from the front of the eye.