Saturday, April 26, 2025, is World Veterinary Day. Recently, EBAA was contacted by a cornea transplant recipient who is also a veterinarian. Here is her story of gratitude for the gift of sight and how it has impacted her personally and professionally.
Cornea Transplant Recipient
Ryane Englar was born with a deep love for animals and always knew she wanted to be a veterinarian. After spending a decade in private practice, she transitioned into academia, where she is currently on faculty at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine. Outside of the office, she authors textbooks for veterinary coursework and is a leader in the growing field of veterinary clinical communication. She also has developed a line of inclusive empathy greeting cards designed to comfort those dealing with the loss of an animal companion.
In February 2024, Ryane experienced sudden changes in her eyesight. She reported intense sensitivity to light that required her to wear sunglasses indoors at all times, progressive tearing, halos, glare, sunbursts, and worsening blurriness in her field of vision. When the pain and steadily deteriorating vision complicated her ability to instruct her students with respect to hands-on clinical skills, she scheduled an appointment with her optometrist, who diagnosed her with Fuchs’ Dystrophy.
Upon being told she was “going blind,” Ryane was both shocked and devasted. She couldn’t imagine how she would continue to create visual resources and non-animal teaching models for students to learn those skills they would need to successfully care for animals. She was relieved when her doctor referred her for specialty care, where she was informed about corneal transplantation and its 95 – 98% success rate.
Recently, Ryane received partial corneal transplants (Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty; DMEK) in both eyes. Each day she is inspired by the journey of sight restoration, which would not have been possible without the generosity of donors and their families. With her surgeon’s help, connecting her to her eye bank, Ryane reached out to both donor families to express gratitude for the gift of sight. “I hold onto hope that I may one day hear back from them, so that I can learn more about the individuals who I think of each day, every day, who live on inside of me and who have forever changed my life, for the better. I’m so thankful to be able to contribute to veterinary medicine as an educator, inventor, and innovator.”
To give the gift of sight to someone like Ryane, register as a donor and be sure to inform your loved ones about your decision. To learn more about eye donation and cornea transplantation, explore our website.
