Keratoconus Journey: Eric
“Ker-uh-toh what?” That’s usually the response from patients when they are first diagnosed with keratoconus or KC, a progressive eye disease characterized by a cone-like shape of the cornea that distorts vision. But Eric Lueke knew almost as much about KC as the ophthalmologists at Fichte, Endl & Elmer Eyecare in Amherst, NY where he works as an ophthalmic technician.
Diagnosed in early 2024 and treated in April of that year, Eric has a unique story, especially since one of his responsibilities at the practice is to counsel patients who are diagnosed with KC and help them understand their recommended treatment, including iLink®, the first and only FDA-approved corneal cross-linking procedure that slows or halts the progression of KC.
As an ophthalmic technician, Eric describes himself as a “jack of all trades”. He has worked at the practice for about 20 years. He is involved in everything from patient triage and counseling to back-end support with insurance, IT, transcribing, billing, and even maintenance – really anything that needs to be done to assist the medical and administrative teams. Because he has been fully immersed in the practice, Eric has an extensive background in patient service, guiding procedures, recovery instructions and paperwork. With his experience, he has developed a solid understanding of KC and is very familiar with the iLink cross-linking procedure. His knowledge proved advantageous when he noticed his vision deteriorating with regular corneal topography exams that had become a routine part of his job.
“I thought I might have an astigmatism, so I did some eye mapping. This was not as obvious in 2020 during the pandemic, but I noticed my eyeglasses prescription changing whenever I conducted training and took images of my cornea,” Eric said. “Based on what I had observed at the practice and through my unique access to testing equipment and a series of images of my eyes on file, I told Dr. Michael Endl, ’I think I have keratoconus’ and he confirmed it.”
Dr. Endl recommended that Eric receive iLink to slow or stop the progression of his KC and scheduled the procedure on Eric’s left eye. Eric does have KC in his right eye as well, although it appears to be stable at this time.
“I know what this procedure involves, and I trust all of the doctors I work with, so I was excited to have iLink done,” Eric said.
After the procedure, Eric said he was surprised that it was not more uncomfortable during, immediately after, and in the days and weeks that followed. With his experience talking to patients and counseling them after treatment, he recognizes treatment and recovery may be different for every patient. Fortunately for Eric, he was able to go back to work the very next day. “Because of where I work, I was able to check my progress daily through AR testing, vision checks, and with corneal topography, and every day I was doing well with no discomfort.”
“For me, it was fun – learning about and undergoing the iLink procedure from a patient’s perspective. I can now share first-hand what it was like,” he added.
Outside of work, Eric is a self-proclaimed life-long learner. He reads upwards of 50 books a year on a variety of subjects, loves history, and plays sports – from hockey, college football, soccer, and karate to disc golf, cycling, and camping. These hobbies motivated him to have the iLink procedure to slow or halt the progression of keratoconus and preserve his vision.
Eric explained that when he counsels keratoconus patients and answers questions, he can now add his personal experience. “It’s another tool in my toolbelt.”
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The results described on this site are based on data collected regarding short- and intermediate-term efficacy of treatment. Individual results are not guaranteed and may vary.