Sinoxole Hale was diagnosed with keratoconus in 2015 when she was only 15 years old. Keratoconus is a condition in which the clear tissue on the front of the eye (cornea) bulges outward. Symptoms often include blurred vision and sensitivity to light and glare. When caught early, the condition can be reversed with spectacles or contact lenses. However, this was not the case for Sino. Her case was too far gone and demanded a cornea transplant.
When Sino was rushed to Optometrist Dr Davies, he discovered that her cornea had prolapsed. He immediately sent her to Gqeberha to be treated by Ophthalmologist Dr Andrew Boliter. Dr Boliter found that Sino needed a cornea transplant because her cornea was displaced.
The problem became how to find a transplant cornea in time as the waiting time for a cornea transplant in South Africa, can be up to a decade. Dr Davies decided to contact a friend, Robert Austin in the U.S.A who works at a donor bank in Denver and told him Sino’s story. The cornea bank in Denver managed to find a matching cornea and donated it to Sino.
With Dr Boliter at the helm, Sino’s transplant was a success. Over the next eight years Sino continued to have follow up surgeries and check-ups with Dr Boliter. However, Sino’s other eye was deteriorating. With continued monitoring Sino was able to finish her matric and go on to enrol at Rhodes University for a degree in education.
In February 2023, Sino went on to be fitted with a scleral lens to help support the transplanted cornea. This would have cost Sino around R14 000 had the Eiohn Hayes Eyecare Outreach Program not stepped in. Sino was healthy enough to go on and obtain her education degree from Rhodes University in April 2023. A life changed and transformed.
